Stories

 

 

 

 

 

     John Mailliard added “a coupla bucks” to honor the woman with the most Oscar wins – costume designer Edith Head.

 

     Laura Zahn was happy to know a lady, now 47, who finished Monday’s Boston Marathon.

 

     Sheila Fritts was $2 happy as she read a nice note from Holmes Elementary Principal Kale Colyar thanking the club for helping donate a washing machine and dryer for the school.

     

     Steve Boharski was happy to celebrate Sheila as he asked “where does she get all that energy?”  Sheila’s podcasts about Expo Anniversary memories segments will be mentioned on KREM-TV.

 

      Ron Noble was happy to celebrate the successes of women as the WNBA announced its draft choices.  Ron recalled how some young ladies years ago had to drive 50 miles just to participate in women’s sports

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      Club members are still welcomed to join the Rotary table from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 18 as part of the 50^th anniversary of Expo ’74.  The table will be near the Rotary Fountain in Riverfront Park.

 

Happy Birthday: Sandy Fink’s happy day is on April 20.

 

     

       In the past 20 years, public trust has waned in many areas from the presidency to law enforcement to the legal profession, Hunter M. Abell told club members at the April 15 luncheon. 

      Abell said “cynicism and nostalgia” are among the reasons for the decline of respect for many sectors of business.

     “There are simple answers, but not easy answers,” he said.

 

      He said as polarization has mounted “lawyers, whose number one role is the guardian of structures, should become teachers.”

 

      Abell, on a leave as president of the Washington State Bar Association, has had his own remarkable journey.

      He was born on a ranch near Inchelium on the Colville Reservation.

 

      Part of his legal practice, he said, is split between working “on a table in Inchelium” and in Spokane at the Williams Kastner offices.  The firm also has offices in Seattle and Portland.

 

      Abell specializes in civil litigation, residential real estate and Indian law. 

 

      He served as a commander in the Navy’s JAG Corps and was a liaison officer in the Central Criminal Court in Baghdad, Iraq.

 

      Abell graduated in Willam and Mary, earned his law degree at Gonzaga in 2005 and studied at Georgetown Law in 2006.  He also is a member of the Ferry County and King County bar associations.

 

      So, obviously, Abell brings a lot to the table when he talks about the roles of lawyers.

 

      At the luncheon, he used slides to show how much public confidence has declined in sectors.

 

      Polling showed respect for the Presidency dropped from 52 percent in 1973 to just 26 percent last year.  Supreme Court showed 45 percent in 1973; just 27 percent in 2023.  Banking went from 60 percent in 1979 to 26 percent last year.  Public school trust dropped from 58 percent in 1973 to 26 percent and media fell from 39 percent to 18 percent.  Congress’ numbers dropped from 42 percent to just 8 percent.

 

      Abell said the only growth in respect in the sectors in the polling was the military, which grew from 58 percent in 1973 to 60 percent last year. He added though, depending on war time, in some years even the military declined 7 percent.

 

     While many reasons have “undermined public trust,” he said, “trust can be rebuilt.”

 

     He challenges lawyers to help rally trust in many areas and institutions.

 

     Though some may think there are too many lawyers, Abell said “we need more lawyers, especially in rural areas.”

 

      He added that we also need more doctors and nurses and accountants in rural areas, but people in urban areas, especially the young, don’t like to move to rural areas. “There is no big dating pool in rural areas,” he quipped. 

 

      Abell said another key to rebuilding trust among institutions is to make an effort to connect better with people in the areas.  He said Rotary, with its various classifications is “well-positioned with its diversity.”  Reaching young people is a special challenge, he admits.

 

     Asked about the possibility that some new lawyers now may be admitted to the bar without bar exams, Abell said he hopes that does not become areas where there is a “gold standard” for those who passed the bar exam, and a “silver standard” for those who just clerked with law offices to be admitted.   

  

         As the moon darkened a small slice of the sun during the April 8 solar eclipse, club members were treated to “solar doughnuts” by Jerry Logan, sergeant-at-arms for the day.

 

         Jerry’s tribute included a base of a Krispy Kreme doughnut topped by one side of an Oreo cookie and whipped cream.  Too bad we have to wait another 20 years for the next full eclipse in our area.

                  (Sorry the photographer was too busy eating to take a picture!)                      

   

 

         Rick Clark didn’t wear a backpack to our April 8 luncheon, but that’s because he probably gave it away to a needy person on the way to the Bark.

 

         What he never gives away is his will to help people in need.

         Clark nearly teared-up as he recalled his challenges and successes.  His riveting life story also brought strong emotions to the full crowd.

 

         Clark, now 53, was born in the Spokane Valley.  Dad left early, leaving poverty and numerous challenges for the family.   He said he dropped out of high school and already had a baby.  His sisters also had babies by then.

 

         Rick said by age 44 “his third marriage was on the rocks,” had five children and 50 different jobs “all entry-level.”  By then he was “squatting in a trailer in Medical Lake.”

  

         Emotions raw, Clark said he screamed, saying “you’re not going out like this.”

 

         “I wasn’t a bad guy, but I just didn’t want things that way,” he said.

 

         “I was 28 years as a drop out and this was my ‘Hail Mary’ shot” to do something, Clark said.

 

         That’s where he met Jerrod.  Clark had gone to the downtown bus plaza and saw Jerrod, dirty clothing, no shoes.  “He looked like one of my son’s age,” Rick said. 

 

         So Clark made a connection to someone “who was doing worse than me.” 

 

         Jerrod told him he had slept under the Monroe Street Bridge the previous night and muggers took his backpack and most of his meager belongings.

 

         Rick offered the question which he now knows connects people most: “Are you hungry?”

 

         Clark offered his $10 at the plaza food court.  Jerrod wanted a pastry and a Mountain Dew.

 

         Rick wrote down Jerrod’s clothing sizes, a backpack, and promised to find him again.

 

         “You are low, but others are even lower and my job is I want to be a helper,” Rick said.

 

         He gave out a backpacks and started at Spokane Community College.  Rick graduated the same day his son graduated from Spokane Falls Community College.

 

         Buoyed by that success he borrowed $100 and sent a heartfelt letter about his travails to Gonzaga University. 

 

         “This opened the door to ending his chain of poverty,” Clark said.  He said at GU classes, he was in his 50s and one student in his 30s and they used to nod at each other since every other student was so much younger. 

 

         GU provided $35,000 to start school and a donor paid most of the rest.

 

         With his communications degree in hand, Clark started out to help “Giving Back Pack.”  More than 7,000 backpacks, with toiletries, clothing and other essential items were given to the needy.

 

         When the backpack needs were met, Clark changed the program to “Giving Back Spokane,” and the non-profit provides a variety of necessities and food, especially for youngsters in need who may not have food when schools are not in session.

 

         Because all the money is private community funds, no governmental red tape limits donations, he said.

 

         During the Covid pandemic, Clark said, the group helped 110 restaurants keep open.

 

         Talking about the homeless, here and elsewhere, Rick said the key “is to make a connection. When there is no hate, there is dignity,” he said.  “Give people a reason to get up in the morning.”

 

         He said his Facebook responses have numbered 36,000…”and 80 percent are people over age 40.”

 

         Clark said he did find Jerrod a few years ago, finally recognized as schizophrenic, living in North Idaho.

 

         And Rick Clark, whose life has gone very far indeed, now operates his agency on West Sprague, just a block or so from that bus plaza where his life changed forever.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            During March, John Mailliard reaches 34 years in Rotary.  Bill Simer reached 27 years with Rotary and Bob Romney has 5 years.

 

 

            John Mailiard was happy to have a procedure to straighten a troublesome finger, though the wrap makes getting on his left sleeve a challenge.

 

            Dave Hayward was $10 happy during his six weeks in Mazatlan, Mexico, where the Haywards have wintered since 1998.

 

            Sheila Fritts was $5 happy that Ray Brown, a former Club 21 Rotary president, joined the meeting.  Brown, whose classification was hospital administration, now lives at the Fairwood Village.

 

            Lenore Romney was happy to join the other members who served dinner March 8 at the Ronald McDonald House.

 

 

          On Friday March 8th, Club members took “Service Above Self” on the road…to prepare and serve a hearty dinner meal to the families staying at Ronald McDonald House. 

 

            One of the many kitchen bays at the facility is for volunteers to prepare meals.  It felt a bit like the atmosphere on one of those timed cooking shows, as we laughed and worked around each other to get everything ready in a two hour window. 

 

            The group divided the myriad of tasks involved with prepping, cooking and cleaning up and were ready to serve our menu right on time at 6pm.  Our menu consisted of Lenore’s Mexican chicken entrée, seasoned salmon fillets, cilantro & lime rice, fresh fruit salad, and hot fudge sundaes with Laura’s homemade hot fudge sauce right.  With hardly any leftovers, we took it as a thumb’s-up sign! 

 

            Helping to support these families was a fun and worthwhile way to spend a few hours on a Friday evening…we look forward to doing this project again.

 

 

                At the March 11 club luncheon, David Hayward was given a Paul Harris Fellowship, celebrating $1,000 to the   

     Rotary International fund.  It was the 4^th Paul Harris mention for long-time member Dave and reading the tribute was 

     Dave’s grandson, Hunter Hopkins.

 

          

 

           

            Perhaps the luck of the Irish will be with Spokane’s new pro soccer team in the United Soccer League One.

 

            On Saturday, March 16, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick start their annual Irish Parade at noon.

 

            At 2 p.m., the Spokane Velocity FC kick off its home schedule at One Spokane Stadium against the Richmond Kickers.

 

            Logan Robben, Velocity assistant manager, said just 600 tickets remained for the 5,000 seats at the inaugural home game.  He told the club that 200 soccer fans crowded a local bar to watch the first road trip, where the Velocity lost 3-1 to the Greenville Triumph in South Carolina.

 

            The men’s team home schedule has 15 games with the last regular home game on Oct. 26.  The pro women’s team, the Zephyr, start in the summer.  Robben said soccer games will play all months except November and December.

 

            Individual ticket prices range from $18 to $39, he said.  Team colors are “River Rapid White and Impact Blue.  The club has a merchandize store in the Davenport Grand Hotel.

 

            The pro teams here, Robben said, “are at the level at Double-A baseball and are modeling after British Leagues in soccer,” where winning teams may move up and losers may drop a bit.  Robben said personally, he’s a Chelsea fan.

 

            Joining Robben at the club’s meeting was Hunter Hopkins, a WSU student majoring in sports management.  Hopkins, Dave Hayward’s grandson, is an intern with the soccer teams.  Hunter said he played (the other) football in high school, not soccer.

 

           

            An active home sales spring is expected in Spokane, and while prices continue to rise, homes are even pricier elsewhere.

 

            “The lack of inventory continues to be our number one issue,” said Eric Johnson, who has tracked Spokane area home sales for decades.  In 2021 he was president of the Spokane Association of Realtors.

 

            Eric said in 2024 the Realtors forecast a 6 percent increase in units and a 3 percent price increase.  Another Realtor index expects a 3.6 percent gain in units, but a 10.2 percent price drop, while the National Association of Realtors forecast a 13.5 percent increase, with no overall increase in prices.

 

            He said in February the median home sales price was $400,000, up 6.7 percent and closed sales totaled 341, a 13 percent increase.

 

            “There are about 1,000 homes on the market and the ‘churn’ has been pretty good,” Eric said.

 

            He said a number of home buyers are moving to Spokane. “They are coming from L.A., Portland, Seattle, and even Coeur d’Alene, where costs are pricing out of that market.  “The Spokane Valley is the benefit of that,” Eric said.

 

            Inventory is low, he said, and, with prices rising, some new “ruthless builders” are cutting quality, like not installing soffits, and locating on just 5-foot-wide setbacks.

 

            He said, with “a lot of variables,” some younger people are “more of a rental mind,” rather than buying homes.

 

            But overall, Johnson said, “This is not a bad market for home sales,” even when interest rates “has been the most sensitive we’ve ever had since I have been doing this.” 

       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Club President Ron Noble shared a list from District Gov. Doreen Kelsey to “Nominate Your Fellow Deserving Rotarians” for District and Rotary International awards, with the March 31 deadline for nominations.

 

            Ron Noble also said March 2 is the date for the “Il-Lumen-ate the Night” event hoping to raise $50,000 for the downtown high school for teens who have kids of their own.

 

            Laura Zahn, coordinating the club’s sharing project at the Ronald McDonald House, said five helpers are needed on Friday, March 8, 4:30-7:30 p.m., to feed about 40 people staying there while family members are treated at local hospitals.

 

 

            Sheila Fritts was $20 worth of happiness for the birth of Hartley, her sixth grandchild.

 

            Jerry Logan was happy that he went to Arizona to look at buying a sports car, but didn’t but one.

 

            Bill Simer was happy for the club’s continued high participation.

 

            Ron Noble, in his first for quarter as club president, was happy “for our great board.”

 

 

            Coug alum Dave Petersen was happy for the basketball success of the WSU’s men’s and women’s teams.

 

           

            After long successful careers in higher education, Gordon and Sue Jackson now really like playing with kids and their toys.

            Their real joy involves their volunteer work with the Vanessa Behan Childcare Center.

 

            Gordon and Sue have retired after 32 years at Whitworth University.  They came to Spokane from South Africa in 1983.  Gordon led the journalism program and Sue worked in administrative jobs at Whitworth.

 

            For the past 17 years, they have volunteered at Vanessa Behan.  They shared their stories at the club’s Jan. 29 luncheon.

 

            Vanessa Kay Behan was a 2-year-old Spokane girl who died from a long list of injuries of child abuse. In 1987, the center was opened in a private home to provide safe care for neglected children. The need grew and the operation was moved to a South Hill location and now has been expanded to a spacious building and playground at 2230 E. Sprague.

 

            The center operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and all services are free and confidential.

 

            Children are cared for ages birth through 6 and on a case-by-case basis ages 7 to 12, the Jacksons said.  Many kids are referred to the center, but some drop-ins can be accommodated, they said.

 

            The center serves children of families “in cases of substance abuse, domestic violence, homelessness or just exhausted and worn out from the demands of parenting.”

 

            In 1987, 427 children were cared for at the center. In 2023, 6,860 kids were protected, they said. Over that lifespan, they said, some 132,500 children were served.  The center operates with a nearly $4 million operating budget.  About half of the money is from individual and business contributions, augmented by events, programs and appeals and a few grants.

 

            Gordon and Sue said they work 4-hour shifts twice a week, playing with infants and kids.

 

            “It is a very secure building and every door is locked,” Sue said.

 

            “There is an enormous, kid-friendly great room, with a climbing wall, slides and hidey-holes.  Kids can run and they can build things,” she said, adding, there also are quiet transition places.  An outdoor playground is designed for kid-friendly surfaces and equipment.

 

            Gordon said the youngsters “are incredibly honest,” asking in various ways, “can I trust you?” or “do you like me?”

 

            Sue said that “there are some special need kids who are classified ‘one-on’ children who get single house parents.” 

 

            She added there is “a dramatic room” where kids ages 2-5 can play dress up and use instruments.

 

            “We both enjoy playing with the toys,” she said, displaying for the club a tall plastic pole  with rings that curves around the stack.

 

            Gordon said the Behan Center “has very few male volunteers.  We need more male role models.”

 

            Preventing child abuse and dealing with neglect, unfortunately is a big challenge, but the Vanessa Behan staff and volunteers have made a huge difference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Lenore and Bob Romney delivered Mobius science kits to Holmes Elementary students and Bill Simer said Lenore negotiated a good price for the kits, saying they are “our charitable funds at work.”

 

 

            Bill Simer was happy for basketball success at both Gonzaga U. and Eastern Washington U.

 

            John Mailliard said his 13-year-old grandson wanted some firearm practice for his birthday.  That was not allowed in Washington because the eligible age there is 14, but in Post Falls, John said, there was no problem to shoot handguns and rifles.

 

           

            Bibles have several references about fig trees.

 

            Mark (11:12-20) recalls “how Jesus cursed the fig tree because he was hungry and found only leaves (when the fruit was out of season).”

 

            Micah (4:4) talks about people “under their own fig trees and no one shall make them afraid” because their independence were freed from the military.”

 

            In the Spokane region, The Fig Tree is “a monthly newspaper and website covering faith in action.”

 

            At the Jan. 22 club luncheon, Marijke Fakasiieiki, Fig Tree’s development and editorial associate, described the organization’s outreach.

 

            She said the newspaper publishes 10 times each month and circulates a 200-page resource directory of churches and centers for human services, medical resources, senior and retirement centers, justice resources and agencies on the environment, arts and culture and civic services.

 

            The resource service guide is funded by two dozens of companies, businesses and organizations plus individual donations.

 

            The Fig Tree, located at 13^th and Perry, was started in 1984 and circulates throughout Eastern Washington and North Idaho.

 

            Marijke said the interfaith effort was founded by Methodist ministers in the 1930s in Great Britain’s World Council.

 

            She said the concept is “to have the faith communities get together and share their voices for peace and justice.”

 

            The Fig Tree counters the negativity in media and to emphasize stories about positive events, Marijke said.

 

            For example, the current tabloid features Catherine Ferguson, of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM), who has “traveled the world to do international research for an internship and in leadership roles.”  Her story is one of the Fig Tree’s 40^th anniversary publications.

 

            Also in the current edition, Ferguson wrote about the work of Kaye Peterson, guest services manager at the Silver Lake Camp and Retreat Center.

 

            When the devastating fire in the Medical Lake area scorched 10,000 acres of fires and 240 structures in August, much of the camp structures, two miles south of the city, survived.

 

            During the trauma, Peterson said, she “constantly felt Jesus’ presence,” adding, “regardless of all the work that still needs to be done, her faith in God inspires everything she does and asks how can we help the greater community and show God’s love.”

 

            Marijke said a free Fig Tree 40^th anniversary Benefit Event is scheduled at noon on March 8 at GU’s Cataldo Hall, to “feature recent stories that empower people.” 

       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Club President Ron Noble read a note from Holmes Elementary School thanking all of the members for the holiday gifts for needy families.

 

             President Noble asked all club members “to think about growing our membership” and to also think about our club can celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Expo ’74 with a lasting remembrance.

 

            Sheila Fritts added that she is assembling print and audio files about Expo.  Melinda Keberle said her dad won an award for a photo at Expo.

 

            John Mailliard reminded that “every member of the club is on the membership committee.”

 

            Bill Simer said little red heart decals have been added to members’ badges for contributing to the club’s charitable giving campaign.

 

 

            John Mailliard visited Salem, Ore., to celebrate his sister and her husband for their 50^th anniversary and brought back a flag from the Salem Rotary club.

 

            Ron Noble was happy to reach his 75^th birthday.

 

            Jerry Logan is happily awaiting an Arizona trip to buy a sports car.

 

 

            Eric Johnson and wife, Stephanie, had stopped at the north side Fred Meyer store for gasoline last week, when they noticed that a young man ahead of them in line had his driver’s door ajar.  Then they heard a loud clunk when the man fell to the pavement.

 

            The 17-year-old, who was driving alone, had fractured his skull in the fall.  Stephanie, a nurse, helped the young man, while Eric called 911 to summon EMTs and found the man’s mother’s number to call him.

 

            Eric said the young man is hospitalized and asked members “for thoughts and prayers.”

 

            One prayer was already answered by the quick assistance of Eric and Stephanie.

 

           

            For the Salvation Army, it’s about “soup, soap and salvation.”

 

            And this Army’s marching order is “Doing the Most Good.”

 

            At the Jan. 8 club luncheon Marcie Undlin, the Salvation Army’s eastern Washington donor relations director, described the organization’s efforts.  Her territory includes six facilities, with the largest at 222 E. Indiana.

 

            “We are much more than holiday bell ringing,” Undlin said.  But there is a lot of bell-ringing.  She said there are 62 kettle stations in the Spokane area whose volunteers, supplemented by some paid workers, ring bells in two-hour shifts to raise about $3 million a year.

 

            The Salvation Army Spokane offers help and refuge for all ages, Undlin said.

 

            “Sally’s House” works with children ages 2-12 who have been abused, abandoned or neglected.  Some 8,000 children have been served since its opening in 2002.

 

            “Evangeline’s House” provides short-term placement for ages 12-20 needing support and counseling.

 

            “Stepping Stones” is a family transitional housing program which serves three or more individuals seeking housing and work.

 

            A “Nurturing Center” provides court-ordered time and visitation services to children aged birth to 18 and their families.

            Camp Gifford at Deer Lake brings 500 or so aged 7 to 17 to a summer experience.

 

            A family resource center helps those who “work paycheck-to-paycheck” when emergencies arise.

 

            The “Way Out Bridge Housing Center” works with homeless adults trying to transition from shelters to permanent housing.

 

            And the “Way in Shelters” help facilities like the “low-barrier” Trent Resource and Assistance Center” to get out of the cold.  TRAC has 350 beds and a Cannon center adds 80 beds.

            The Salvation Army also has a variety of community programs for scouting, after school, movies in the park, Thanksgiving Day Meals and “Trunk or Treat” families.

 

            The Spokane Salvation Army is headed by Majors Ken and Jennie Perine.

 

            The original Salvation Army was founded in 1865 in London by a Methodist minister.  Undlin said “we have churches and all officers are ordained ministers, part of the universal Christian Church.” 

 

            She added: “We operate like a military base and ranks rise from privates to colonels.”

 

            Undlin said the “soup” is nourishment, the “soap” help programs like addictions and the “salvation” Biblical references to help bring the words of Jesus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Calendar: 

 

 

 

 

 

            Lenore Romney said Holmes Elementary administrators said our club’s  annual “40 for $60” holiday gifts for needy school children and families will have its “tag day” Nov. 20 and return of gifts Dec. 18.  Each member is asked to take two tags for gifts and each gift is limited to $60.

 

            Sheila Fritts shared a nice thank-you note from the Kids Closet program for two boxes of items donated by Carters which Lenore had picked up.   

 

             The club’s holiday gathering will be the evening of Friday, Dec.1 at Bill Simer’s house, with details to follow.

 

             In lieu of the Monday, Dec 4 club luncheon, members are invited to help at 2^nd Harvest during 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. that day.  Steve Boharski coordinated the dirty hands project. 

 

 

            Bill Simer and Jerry Logan visited the Lumen School and said they were very happy to have received infant clothing donations, also from Carters

.

            Ron Noble was pre-Halloween happy that a grandchild was born just soon of the eerie date of Oct. 31.

 

 

           

             Sandy shared a poster made by the 5^th graders in science class thanking Rotary for the Mobius science kits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

             

             At the Oct. 30 club luncheon, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels offered dozens of reasons to support Measure No. 1 – building a new jail and several other item and programs.

 

            While some critics have said the law and justice program measure lacks details, Nowels offered a blizzard of data points about how current correction facilities are overcrowded and outdated and programs for mental health and substance use disorders are severely lacking.

 

             If ballot Measure 1 is approved by voters, a 0.2% sales tax over 30 years would generate an estimated $1.7 billion to build two new jails and provide local governments in the county to added revenue, which, by state law, must be spent on criminal justice, public safety and behavioral health programs.

 

            The funding would split, with 60 percent – about $540 million, including interest payments, for the county, and 40 percent for various municipalities, Nowels said.

 

            While some critics said the plan lacks details, Nowels said flatly, “We do have a plan.”

 

             “We have lacked money for criminal justice for a long time,” the sheriff said.

 

             With Measure 1, the current county jail would open and two new buildings near the old jail would be built.  One would be a five-story jail for medium and minimum offenders.  The second new building would house a variety of behavior programs, including detox programs, a drug court and community contact programs, Nowels said.

 

             The existing jail would house maximum-level offenders.

 

             The Geiger Corrections Center, a minimum-level facility built in the Korean War-era, would be demolished, the sheriff said.  Geiger, he said, can only house 100 to 150 minimum-level inmates and only males because it lacks staffing and facilities. “They could just climb the fence,” he said, adding the county intends to demolish Geiger in five years regardless of the ballot result.  Replacing that could cost $40 million, he added.

 

 

            Nowels said that the current jail is severely overcrowded.  In one recent day, the jail, designed to house 465 inmates, had 675 inmates.

 

            “Some days we have deputies in patrol cars holding inmates, waiting for a room in the jail to open,” he said.  “It’s not anecdotal,” Nowels said, “We have to make decisions every day about who to hold in jail or who to release.”

 

             Building a facility for behavioral programs comes close to home for the sheriff.

 

             He said his daughter has struggled with addiction.  “We must have a system that helps people.  For many, a better health program is better than incarceration, but we just lack the facilities to do the programs,” Nowels said.

 

            With the spread of fentanyl and cocaine and other substances, he said, “We have an epidemic of drug use.”  He said housing someone with a drug problem in jail for 30 to 90 days “could be a better place” than on the streets.  Space for that is lacking now.

 

            Talking about homelessness, the sheriff said “Only three people died because of freezing temperatures in Spokane last year, but 63 people died of drug overdoses.”

 

            If Measure 1 passes, he said, construction would take five years to complete and add 500 beds to the total.

 

           The sheriff said the new facilities can be built without adding much staff, because current state law limits how many inmates can be housed on one floor, while the new designs  can use fewer staff per floor.

 

          Nowels also detailed how local and state law enforcement ranks here are among the lowest totals in the nation.  To achieve the average national number of officers, he said Spokane County would need to add 136 deputies.

 

         “We need more cops,” he said.

 

 

Calendar:  

 

 

 

 

 

            Lenore Romney said Holmes Elementary administrators confirmed that our club’s annual “40 for $60” holiday gifts for needy school children and families will have its “tag day” Nov. 20 and return of gifts Dec. 18.  Each member is asked to take two tags for gifts and each gift is limited to $60.

            Lenore also said two boxes of clothing and household items have been delivered to Holmes from Carter’s in the Spokane Valley.  Items for infants were sent to Lumen School and two more boxes of clothing were sent to the Kids Closet program.

 

Save the date: The club’s holiday gathering will be the evening of Friday, Dec. 1at Bill Simer’s house, with details to follow. 

       

 

            Bill Simer, happy to hear Betsy Wilkerson, who also was an Innovia board member.

 

            John Mailliard was happy for some “liquid sunshine” rainy weather on the Oregon coast.

 

            Sheila Fritts was $5 happy for a successful Meals on Wheels fund-raiser which gained $32,000 in one night.

 

 

 

            Desk:  Lenore Romney

 

            Invocation/Pledge:  Steve Boharski

 

            Sgt. At Arms:   Colin Prestesater

 

            Talking about homelessness, crime and safety, campaigning and other topics, Spokane Council President candidate Betsy Wilkerson said, “There is a lot of negativity – the worst since my time in Spokane.”

 

             Asked about liberal and conservative views in the city mayoral and council administration, Wilkerson said “both sides are a little guilty.”

 

            “We must take the personalities out to get the work done,” she said, adding, “negativity has never solved one thing.”

 

             Wilkerson spoke at the club’s Oct. 23 meeting.  Her opponent, Kim Plese, did not attend.

 

             On Oct. 30, the last of the club’s pre-election programs, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels will discuss the proposal to fund a new jail.

 

             Asked about the city council presidency, Wilkerson said “I was going to retire, but no one else will do it.  That’s what leadership does.”  Among other duties, the council president, she said, sets the council agenda and “is second in line” to the mayor.

               

            Wilkerson was appointed as a District 2 Councilwoman in 2020 and re-elected in 2021. She was asked to run for president by former Council President Breean Beggs after he was named a Superior Court judge by Gov. Jay Inslee earlier this year.

              

            Betsy has owned and operated Moore’s Assisted Living, a mental health facility, since 1993.  On the City Council she is current president of the Spokane Regional Transportation Council and current president of the Associated Washington Cities.

 

            She fielded a variety of topics during the club’s luncheon.

 

            One thing she mentioned was “cracked sidewalks,” saying throughout town sidewalk problems make it difficult to travel, especially for those with disabilities. She said traffic calming money from red light fines could help.

 

             About homelessness, Wilkerson said she was impressed with programs in Vancouver, Wash., to house “tiny homes and RVs.”  That is a better solution than living in cars, she said, adding, "when you are homeless, you often live in a car.”

                

            She commended Lt. Gov. Denny Heck for convening representatives statewide to study issues of homelessness “and how to stay at the table.”

                

            “Since Covid, when there were few gatherings,” she said. “We have to build back civic muscle.”

                

            Wilkerson is no fan of concentrated homeless venues, such as Camp Hope and the East Trent Shelter.  She said, “70 people you can absorb; but 300, no.”

              

            She said space is available on city, county and state parcels of lands in the area and even private parking lots, including near churches.  She suggests finding (the homeless) areas “where they grew up, such as Hillyard.”

               

           “Let’s not make them come downtown,” she said. The area near Second and Division is a problem area because there is no place to gather.  Apartments are secured.  There is no park or benches and most businesses lock lavatories by 8 p.m.

 

            She said some homeless people are moving to Deer Park, but facilities and programs are scarce there.

              

           Wilkerson agreed that improvements are needed in the Monroe Street Bridge area, where some have jumped or fallen into the river.  “Maybe we need a net or cameras,” she said.

               

            Asked if more stop signs can be installed to control speeding traffic, she said “stop signs are a day in the past.  They just are not effective.  More round-abouts is where we’re going.”

              

          Wilkerson said improving government means working together “in collaboration and with the process,” even, she said, if sometimes (at the council) “are Jerry Springer Monday nights."

 

          “Government can be changed,” she said, “but it’s a heavy load.”                            Nancy and Betsy acknowledging Mobius Certificate                                                                                                                                                                                

 

 

Calendar:  

 

 

 

            Art Rudd was several dollars happy to celebrate his 54^th year with the club. Yes, Art joined Rotary-North in 1969.

 

            Steve Boharski was happy that the Cougs did not lose…of course, WSU had a bye last week.

    

            Nancy Hanson was happy for the Cougs’ women’s volleyball successes.

 

            Jerry Logan was happy for a visit to Lake Chelan for camping with grandchildren and watching some road racing.

 

            Lenore Romney donated $2 – “all I had left” – from her two week visit to Italy to celebrate a friend’s 60^th birthday.

 

            Ron Noble was happy for the success of the international youth badminton tournament at the Podium.

 

 

            Sandy shared that Holmes Elementary is trying a new technique to encourage good attendance.  For September, October, November, and December, the school will recognize students who have attained a 95% positive attendance for the month.  The school is offering "Remarkable Recess" and "Attendance Dinner" each month to recognize these students and their families.  The dinner will be held, Oct 5th, Nov 9, Dec 7, and Jan 11 from 6 to 7:30pm.  Rotarians are invited to attend and congratulate students and their families.  It is suggested that you call the school and let them know that you would be attending -- PLEASE support this venture to encourage students to be in regular attendance and support their parents!

 

   

             Law and order were the top topics as Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward visited our club Oct. 2.

 

             Citing a list of “tipping point” items during her four-year term in office, Woodward said, “We’ve been able to do a lot.”

             To do more to get more to “decriminalize drugs” – top on her list, and “a huge challenge” – she said the city needs more resources, including more police officers.

 

             Spokane, the mayor said, “is at the bottom of the list” among Washington cities for ratio of law enforcement staffing.  She said up to 100 officers are needed; it takes one year to graduate the academy and we only have 10 spots available.

 

             Working with Spokane Police Chief Craig Meidl and his staff, Woodward said police manpower has been moved personnel staffing shifts and directed to cut crime in areas such as Second and Division.

 

             She said efforts have been heightened to limit banned drugs in public.

 

             Woodward said she strongly supports the ballot measure to build a new jail, adding, “There is no room in the (current) jail for miscreants.”  She noted that the new facility for drug rehabilitation also is part of that measure.

 

             The mayor said she also strongly supports the ballot to make it a citable offense for people who are homeless to camp within 1,000 feet of schools, parks, playgrounds and licensed childcare facilities in the city.

 

             “I am a law and order mayor,” Woodward said.

 

             Also on her resource needs, she said the city needs fewer vehicles.

 

            With some auto workers on strike, she said, there is a backlog to get new patrol cars.

 

            She said the city tried an electric patrol car – a Tesla – but the vehicle was too small to put cage bars in the back.  And the Tesla cost is $100,000, she said.

 

            Another problem with using EV police cars is that they often are operated 24-hours a day as shifts change, so there is little time to recharge the electric cars.  The mayor said they are considering using Ford 150 pickup trucks for some uses.

 

            “Homelessness is a regional issue,” Woodward said, adding that officials in several counties have asked her if there is space in the city’s 300-plus bed East Trent facility.  

 

             She said “limiting for a pause in building housing, such as Latah Valley, would be a mistake.”  The mayor said Spokane has limited areas to build, especially in facilities for the homeless.  In many areas of the city, she said, “people don’t want growth.”  She wants “smart growth” and is talking with the state about improvements along Highway 195.

 

             Woodward added, “We have to get ahead of the game on homelessness.  She lists Buffalo and Cleveland where programs have had success.

 

             Asked about cooperation with the city and Spokane County, where there now are five commissioners elected by districts, she said wants to “avoid silos…it’s better to work together.”

 

            The mayor was asked about, after working 35 years in television, including 28 years as a reporter and anchorwoman in Spokane, it feels to be “on the other side of the camera.”

 

            Woodward said she was happy to leave TV, where issues have changed, and stations “mostly want the millennials’ eyeballs on TV.”

 

            Mayoral candidate Lisa Brown is scheduled to visit our club Oct. 16 and city council president candidates Betsy Wilkerson and Kim Plese have been invited for Oct. 23.  A program on the new jail issue is scheduled Oct. 30.  

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Calendar: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Ron Noble and Chuck Rehberg both celebrated their wives' birthdays on Nov. 28.

 

            Bill Simer was amazed that club member Eric Johnson drove a Porshe to the meeting during the noontime snow shower.  

 

            Melinda Keberle was happy that her grandmother, age 89, could again host the family at Thanksgiving dinner.

 

Announcements:  

    

            Reminder: Holmes holiday gifts -- the “40 for $60” project -- are due Dec. 5.  Gifts –wrapped, but with identifying Holmes letters –should be brought to the Monday luncheon or arrange delivery to Lenore Romney or Michelle Fossum.

 

            Party time: For the Dec. 16 holiday gathering, Sandy Fink will assemble a list for hors d’oeuvres, salads, breads and desserts.  She also asks that each club member bring by Dec. 6th a fun fact card that other members do not know.

 

           

            To close a month-long special series of lunch programs about veterans issues the club members who served in the military shared their own thoughts and pictures of active duty.  

 

            Emcee for the event was Terry Fossum, former Air Force Captain, former club member (now at Club 21) and wife of current club President Michelle Fossum.

 

            Terry opened by saying how much he liked that the club had a whole month devoted to veterans and veteran issues.

 

            Born and raised in south Texas, Terry said how much he enjoyed his life there, including his electrical engineering degree from Texas A&M.  He bragged about the Aggies being the largest engineering program in the country and how much he looked forward to his new career in “the country of Texas.”

 

            Of course, the Air Force had other plans, and Terry said he was assigned to some place in “Spo-kain,” with duties not resembling engineering.  Making the best of it, he said he even learned to like pine trees.

 

            Energetic and affable, Terry worked the ranks through his military service and leadership roles in United Way and the Boy Scouts, among other pathways

 

Then it was our club members’ turn to share their memories of service.

 

                                                                                             

 

            Vietnam vet John Mailliard talked about his 370 combat sorties.  In a lighter moment, John shared a photo atop an F-4 aircraft with two Playboy bunnies on the plane.

 

            Fellow Vietnam vet-era Navy man Ron Noble talked about his avionics career and the Top Gun program which originated near San Diego.  Ron also was at a Navy assignment in Memphis the day Martin Luther King was shot.

 

            A guest of Melinda Keberle attending the luncheon, Liz Russell, talked about the Air Force training she used to help POW returnees in the joint personnel recovery agency. She was a captain in the Air Force.

 

.           Dave Hayward, an Army lieutenant stationed 40 miles from Saigon, talked about his quartermaster role, noting he managed a field of Quonset huts that “supplied all things but weapons” in his area.

 

            One later generation removed from Vietnam, Steve Bergman enlisted in 1998.  He was an airman at Edwards AFB in California and was on the flight line twice when space shuttle craft landed there.  He recalled how a 24-inch asbestos lined water main broke on the flight line, requiring breaking through the two-foot-deep concrete runway.

 

            Steve, who served while the 911 attack occurred, noted how different servicemen and women and veterans were treated after the attacks in 2001, especially compared with treatment to the military in the Vietnam era.

 

            As the program ended Michelle Fossum gave to each veteran a special pin with the message: “Lest We Forget.”

 

            The Fallen Soldier Table

            Despite the Nov. 28 snowstorm, 18 people filled the special luncheon and after the vets in the club had shared their memories Terry Fossum opened “the formal part of the program,” the special table with special meaning.

 

            Terry said solemnly about the items:

 

            “The table is to show our everlasting concern.

 

            “The white tablecloth symbolizes the purity of their motives when answering the call to serve.

 

            “A slice of lemon reminds us of their bitter fate.

 

            “A red ribbon symbolizes the sacrifice they made.  We will never forget.

 

            “The single red rose reminds us of the lives of these Americans…those they loved and those who loved them.

 

            “A pinch of salt symbolizes the tears that were shed, are shed, in their memory.

 

            “The flag is the flag laid upon their coffin, draping them in honor.

 

            “The bible is a promise of where they now reside.

 

            “The glass is inverted to symbolize their inability to join us in our toast.

 

            “The chair is empty, those fallen never to join us again.

 

            “The lighted candle reflects the hope that their sacrifice gives us all.  It is a hope for freedom, not just for our nation, but for all nations.  Not just for our people, but for all people.  Their sacrifice was not made in vain.”

 

            With that, Terry and all in attendance rose and raised a toast (of water): “To Our Fallen Comrades.”

 

In Flanders Fields

 

            To conclude, Terry recited the famous lines written by Lt. Col. John McCrae after presiding over his friend and fellow soldiers at a funeral in Ypres, Belgium, during WWI on May 3, 1915.

 

            The opening:

 

            “In Flanders Fields the poppies blow

 

            Between the crosses, row on row

 

            That mark our place, and in the sky

 

            The larks, still bravely singing, fly

 

            Scarce heard among the guns below.”

 

            And the final lines:

 

            “The torch; be yours to hold it high!

 

            If ye break faith with us who die

 

            We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

 

            In Flanders Fields.”

         

 

To honor our program's presenters Lenore Romney provided patriotic cupcakes for all to share!

 

           

 

            Bulletin editors: Chuck Rehberg and Sandy Fink and Lenore Romney

 

 

 

 

Calendar: 

 

 

 

 

 

            Lenore Romney was happy “because it is fall and time for lip balms,” which she quickly distributed to all in attendance.  (Several years ago Lenore shared a case or two of lip balm containers at an all-club Rotary gathering at Riverfront Park.)

 

            Melinda Keberle was happy that her son, Landen, who plays for Lewis and Clark, defeated both the G-Prep and Ferris football team.

 

            District Gov. Linda Kay Bauer added $1 for the success of her grandson, now 18, who, despite losing eyesight in one eye as a child now pitches in Wenatchee for a minor league team.  She said he has a 90 mile-per-hour fast ball.

 

Announcements:  

    

            Dinner dates: Club members and spouses are invited to at 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20 for a cruise on Lake Coeur d’Alene, followed by dinner at a CDA Italian restaurant.

 

            A holiday dinner for the club is scheduled Friday, Dec. 16 at Sandy Fink’s house.

 

            Sandy also said a key contact at Holmes Elementary School with our club projects is now Office Manager Kerry Morris.  Sandy also said rebates from Staples for the club’s school supplies amount added $95, which the school will get, as requested, 25 boxes of wipes and 6 cartons of pop-up wipes, suggesting a very clean elementary school.

 

            Tags:  The tentative date to distribute holiday tags – our club’s “40 for $60” program – is scheduled at the Nov. 14 luncheon.

           

           

            District Gov. Bauer did the honors, officially recognizing Megan West to Spokane-North Rotary membership with official pins and leading the group in the Four-Way Test.   Bauer said Rotary “has the highest ethics in business practices” and she suggested Megan and other members wear their Rotary pins often, “not just on Monday noons” to help recruit new members.

                                                                                                       

                                                                                              

           

 

 

John, Michelle, and Megan   

 

                     

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

           

 

 

   Steve and Dist Gov Bauer    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

          

                                                                                                                                     

John, Steve and Catherine

 

 

 

 

 

Bauer also gave a Paul Harris award to Steve Mailliard, son of member John Mailliard, who has reached the top levels of the Harris Foundation ranks by coordinating pumpkins for the students at Holmes Elementary and selling the remaining pumpkins and donating the proceeds 

 

 

           

            In her talks to clubs, Rotary District Gov. Linda Kay Bauer features the year’s motto: “Image Rotary.”

 

            What she most wants to imagine is a Rotary fully recovered from the Covid pandemic, when membership waned worldwide with many meetings canceled or reduced to Zoom online gatherings.

 

            “Clubs are coming out of Covid and everyone is trying to get back to normal,” Bauer said.

 

            Joining the governor were her husband Jim, “the 1^st dude,” and Assistant Gov. John Guarisco.  The Bauers were in town for the week, visiting North, South and Club 21.

 

            At a Sunday evening board meeting, Linda said the 5080 District now has 57 Rotary clubs.  She has visited about 36 clubs so far in her one-year term as governor, generally using a motor coach and staying at campgrounds.  The Richland Club in the Tri-Cities is her home club.

 

            With 1.4 million members worldwide, Rotary has more places than McDonald’s, Bauer said.  She is a native of Lima, Ohio, and a graduate of Indiana University and Southern                 Illinois.  She worked with nuclear waste projects at Hanford.

 

            At the Oct. 31 club luncheon Bauer distributed packets of “honey bee mix” seeds saying “bee the change.”                                                                                                                                                                     

 

            Bauer cited “strategic initiatives” including increasing Rotary impact, engagement, measuring results and being adaptive.

 

            “People want person-to-person partnerships,” she said, suggesting seeking club members from Realtors bringing new people to town or looking at Chamber of Commerce members who might welcome Rotary contacts.

 

            Measurements are needed, she said, show our results.

 

            Engagements ask whether club members are friendly and finding their passions.

 

            Of being adaptive, Bauer, noting Spokane-North’s quad presidents for the year, said “you are writing the book” on having four leaders for 3 months each.  She added: “I guess it’s working.”

 

            Another change: Rotary President Jennifer Jones of the Windsorp-Roseland, Ontario, Canada is RI’s first female president.

 

            Bauer said she would like the district “to have a Rotary ranch,” where RYLA (Rotary youth) could be housed and other clubs could gather.  She said clubs in Montana have a ranch there.

 

            She also stressed the importance of supporting the Rotary International Foundation.  One area is Polio Plus, where only Afghanistan and Pakistan still have major issues, but the annual foundation fund, she said, is “true magic,” because district and global grants help needy projects worldwide.

 

            The third fund is the endowment fund which sustains activities.

 

            In total, she said, over the years of Rotary some $44 billion has been raised through the foundation.

 

            Bauer talked about the international conference in Melbourne, Australia, in June and the District Conference, May 18-21 in the Tri-Cities, where Club 5080 will join with Club 5100 in the Hermiston, Ore. area.

 

             Bulletin editors: Chuck Rehberg and Sandy Fink

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Bucks: (None this week to expand candidate meeting time.)

 

Announcements:   

   

            Welcome to the club. The board unanimously approved the membership of Megan West of the local Boy Scouts of America chapter, President Michelle Fossum announced.

 

            Cruising: Club members and spouses are invited to a Sunday, Nov. 20 cruise on Lake Coeur d’Alene.  Details to follow.

 

 

           

           

 

                                                                                                                                          For Kim Plese and Chris Jordan it will be a new role in a new office.

 

            Both are newcomers to political positions and the Spokane County Commission will now operate with five members elected fully by new districts.  Formerly the county had three commissioners elected by districts in primary races,but elected countywide in general elections.

 

            The candidates shared their ideas in a lively 45-minute debate at the club luncheon Oct. 24, with a packed conference room of 18 attending.

 

            Plese, 60, a Republican, stressed her 32 years in business operating a printing shop.  She said she had 3,600 accounts over the years and political affiliation did not matter.

 

            Jordan, 33, a Democrat, who has worked for seven years with the Washington State Attorney General’s office in Spokane, said “a career in public service is not a negative.”

 

            Both candidates were born and raised in Spokane.  Though neither candidate has run for political office, each has long lists of community service organizations.

 

            Plese said she has been endorsed by all three current county commissioners.

 

            Jordan said for 15 years the commission has had only Republicans and it is time for “a mix of representation.”

 

            The new District 1 boundaries extend from the Whitworth area through central Spokane to south 29^th, mostly west of Division.  

 

            Asked how the county should spend from the $6.4 million from the federal rescue fund, Jordan cited affordable housing, small business needs, children services and childcare.

           

            Plese said business needs, seniors and housing, but not childcare.  “The state legislature sets mandates on childcare, not the county,” she said.  “Crime is my biggest priority,” she added.

 

            The candidates were asked whether Spokane needs to build a new jail, something recommended by both county sheriff candidates at the club’s Oct. 3 debate.

 

            Plese said, “The jail is 40 years old.  It is unsafe and has had deaths in jail.  It (a new jail) will be expensive, but it needs to get in front of the voters.”  She added that costs for break-ins often reach $1,000 in deductible expenses, which also is expensive.

 

            Jordan said, “crime is a critical issue.”  He said since at least 60 percent of crime involves mental health and drug issues, some other measures should be utilized more.

 

            “I don’t support a new jail at this time,” he said, adding, “If 1 percent of the crime involves 60 percent of repeating criminals, we need to get those repetitive people in the jail.” 

 

            The candidates also were asked about dealing with homelessness.

 

            Jordan said, “As a person of faith, I think we need some compassion.  Spokane is a kind and compassionate city and we need to work on a bipartisan basis to deal with the homeless

 

            He cited his work with the state Homeless Children Act, saying “we got results.”  He mentioned programs in Houston, “where homelessness dropped 60 percent when they took the politics out.”

 

            Plese said, “I have a totally different approach (to homelessness).”  She said she has talked with numerous business operators, including many near Camp Hope in east Spokane.

 

            She said, “Ozzie (Sheriff Knezovich) back-stabbed the mayor.  It’s all about politics.”

pedophiles, and a 5-year-old child was injured.  And this is on state land.”

 

            Asked whether police have been “holding back” on responding to property crimes, Plese mentioned a situation where 8 or 9 alleged criminals were in line to put in jail, but with crowding they were given a letter to return later.

 

            She also mentioned incidences of rampant shoplifting at stores where guards were not allowed to intervene.  “With the jail full, the police are doing the best they can,” she said.

 

            Jordan said he does not support defunding the police.  He said that on a ride-along the “police were professional, and I was impressed.”  He said, “we need to repair trust.”

 

            In concluding remarks, Plese said “the county has 2,100 employees and there are good times and bad.  I won’t spend money that we don’t have.”

 

            Jordan cited his career working at the University of Washington and the Attorney General’s office “which included a number of accountability measures.”  After 15 years of Republican control, he said “we need new perspectives on the county commission.”

             Bulletin editors: Chuck Rehberg and Sandy Fink

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Responding to questions, Ron Noble confirmed that indeed it was his case of breast cancer he dealt with.  He also said the club’s Tom’s Turkey Drive support was not going to work out this year and asked members to think about another possible project.

 

            Bill Simer was happy for our first charitable contribution for the club, with a fund-raising target of $15,000 this year.

 

            Steve Boharski was happy for the warm, sunny fall weather.

 

            Colin Prestesater proudly announced that for he and his wife’s expecting child “it will be a girl.”

 

            John Mailiard celebrated the more than 400 pumpkins provided by a Moses Lake-area farmer, enough for every Holmes Elementary student. (See story and photos attached.)  John and son, Steven, coordinated the pumpkin drive and also raised $650 in one Saturday, then matched by the farmer, all for the Coats for Kids campaign.  Simer, noting all the grand gourds, said: “So there is a Great Pumpkin!”

 

            Welcome to the club!

           

            Megan West of the local Boy Scouts of America chapter will join our club, President Michelle Fossum announced.

 

            West was accompanied by BSA executive Anthony Escobar, who spoke to the club several weeks ago.  BSA board president Terry Fossum had introduced Anthony at the earlier meeting.

 

 

            Candidates for the Spokane County Commission District 1 will visit during Oct. 24.

 

            Prior to the luncheon program, club members are invited to send e-mails or offer questions on notecards for the candidates to respond.

 

             Kim Plese and Chris Jordan will discuss their race for District 1, with Chuck Rehberg moderating.

 

             A local farm with figurative and literal roots in Moses Lake is gaining notoriety for its charitable persona.  Spearheaded by Joshua Loera and his father, Javier Loera, the Great Pumpkinfest involves a number of donations of hundreds to thousands of pumpkins to schools, restaurants and non-profits, mostly in Spokane.

 

            For the 3rd annual Great Pumpkinfest in 2022, the Loera's already donated pumpkins to Holmes Elementary School in Spokane.

 

           Thanks to John Mailliard and his son who helped make this happen for Holmes!!! 

 

                                                                                                                                                        

          

            Distinctive differences were apparent as candidates for Spokane Prosecuting Attorney discussed issues at the Oct. 17 club luncheon.

 

            Moderator Brian Hipperson and timer-keeper Bill Simer kept the answers quick as a number of issues were raised.

 

            Larry Haskell, the current Prosecuting Attorney since 2014, cited his degree from the University of Washington and law degree from Seattle University.  Haskell, 68, served in the Air National Guard and was elected to the Airway Heights Council and Cheney School Board prior to his work with the courts.

 

            Deb Conklin has a degree in philosophy and a law degree from the UW.  Conklin also has a degree in ministry from the Vancouver School of Theology.  Conklin, 69, worked as a deputy prosecuting attorney in Clallam County and now serves as pastor at Liberty Park and St. Paul’s United Methodist Church.

 

            Asked about pretrial release practices, Haskell said, “we are a bail state” and judges get involved with setting bail, not prosecutors.  However, he said “the system is fair and works pretty well.”

 

            Conklin agreed that “the current law is pretty good but said many who are not dangerous could be used electric monitoring to alleviate jail over-crowding.  “Many of those could be out of jail,” she said.

 

            Asked about allegations that the prosecuting attorney’s office over charges on crimes, Conklin said, “the office does over-charge and that resolves in a domino effect when some people, especially the poor, can’t make bail and lose their jobs.”

 

            Haskell responded that “we only charge what is right.”  He said Spokane is much better than Clallam County and many of the inmates do not have jobs.  He added that “there is no crime when those inmates are not out (of jail).”

 

            Visitor Anthony Escobar said there have been a number of break-ins recently at the BSA office, which may relate to homelessness.

 

            Haskell said, “we don’t charge a crime because of homelessness,” adding that those prosecuted often are released despite the charges.

 

            Conklin said, “there is a connection between crime and homelessness and laws like ‘sit and lie’ promotes homelessness.”  She said if Camp Hope is removed, many of the homeless will relocate “under every viaduct.”

 

            Asked about building a new jail, Conklin said “there is a significant likeliness that we should have a new jail, but first we need to talk about what size of jail we need.”  She said other methods could be used to reduce the jail population.

 

            Haskell said there have been blueprints for a jail for the past 10 years and programs in Multnomah County, Ore., were studied to see alternatives.  He said the drug war continues and there may be treatment centers, but some jail time will be needed.

 

             Bulletin editors: Chuck Rehberg and Sandy Fink

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Dave Hayward was $5 happy for the Cougs win over the Cal Bears.  How happy will he be if WSU beats USC?

 

            Bill Simer was happy for a positive report with a friend’s cancer prognosis.

 

            Melinda Keberle enjoyed the Spokane Jazz Orchestra concert with her son and the Romneys.

 

 

            Candidates for Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney and Spokane County Commission District 1 will visit during October.

 

            Prior to each luncheon program, club members are invited to send e-mails or offer questions on notecards for the candidates to respond.

 

            On Oct. 17, the Prosecuting Attorney candidates are Larry Haskell and Deb Conklin.  Send or bring your comments to moderator Brian Hipperson.

 

            On Oct. 24, Kim Plese and Chris Jordan will discuss their race for District 1.  Contact moderator Chuck Rehberg for questions to ask them.

 

            The new Spokane County Sheriff would like a new jail and some more deputies to help put some criminals in jail.

 

            At the Oct. 3 club luncheon Sheriff candidates John Nowels and Wade Nelson discussed a wide-ranging topics at a lively 45-minute debate.

 

 

                    

                         

   

                   

 

 

 

 

 

 

                        John Nowels                                      Wade Nelson

                          

            Topics included the jail, manpower and recruiting issues, homelessness, curbing fentanyl, response to property crime and gang violence in Spokane.

 

            The Nov. 8 election will decide who will succeed Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich, who is retiring after 16 years in office.  

         

            Nowels, the county undersheriff, was been with the county 24 years, serving in various ranks, including the commander of the regional drug task force and a member of a federal office of community oriented policing service.  He graduated from EWU, has a master’s degree in administrative leadership from the University of Oklahoma and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

 

            Nelson served 6 years in naval intelligence and served with the sheriff’s office for 20 years, including leadership positions with the Critical Incident Management unit, the Tac Team, emergency operations and defensive tactics self-defense program

 

            After opening comments, the candidates talked about manpower and recruiting.

 

            It was noted that many law enforcement units are understaffed.  Seattle’s mayor said in the past 2-1/2 years, Seattle alone has lost 460 officers.

 

            Nowels said six positions were filled that morning and the ranks are down just 10 from the 247 slots.  He said part of the program is having enough training spots.

 

            About recruitment, program moderator Chuck Rehberg asked about Knezovich’s posting a job application on a billboard in New York’s Times Square.  Nowels said one applicant resulted in that effort, but the media coverage spurred applicants from a number of other cities.

 

            Nelson wants an incentive program to attract applicants, with bonuses for sheriff’s deputies who recruit new officers.  He also wants more training spots and an outreach to schools for new deputies.

 

            Both candidates want Spokane to build a new jail to replace the facility.  Six stories, it was built in 1986 for $22 million.  Manpower is also an issue, as there was some concern about closing part of the Geiger Heights facility in Airway Heights for lack of adequate staffing downtown.

 

            Nowels said it will take funding to add staffing and a new jail will be expensive, but the money is needed as the county population grows.  

     

            Regarding homelessness, Nelson said it will take a fully coordinated effort from local, county and the state, plus churches and other private concerns to deal with the issues.  He said the county and sheriff’s office were not included in the early discussions about Camp Hope and that was a mistake.

 

            Nowels said the sheriff’s office could be involved in the rampant crime occurring near Camp Hope on east Second Ave. near I-90.  He said a number of retailers near that area fear closing stores or facing bankruptcy there.

 

            Both candidates said the rise of the potent opioid fentanyl is alarming, locally and nationally.  In combatting the rising drug use, Nowels cited his service on the drug force and Nelson discussed his work to curb other drug use.

            Asked about slow or little response to property crime, Nowels said that issue remains an important concern and responses are not ignored.  Nelson said adding more deputies could help speed the responses.

 

            Of gang violence, Nowels said unless adult gang members locate here, the gang issues usually involve youth issues and answers should be targeted there.  Nelson mentioned how deputies are located in the Spokane Valley and more manpower also will help with dealing with gang members.

 

            One big common solution to the various questions is to fund adequate manpower for the sheriff’s office and a second concern is to build a new jail.

 

             Bulletin editors: Chuck Rehberg and Sandy Fink

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

             Michelle Fossum was happy for a wonderful camping trip last week.

 

             Steve Bergman was happy that his daughter made a smooth enrollment at Western Washington University.

 

             John Mailliard was happy for an Alaskan cruise planned with family.

 

            Melinda Keberle enjoyed a good outing at Lake Union and other Seattle environs with her son.

 

            Brian Hipperson was happy to close the family’s cabin at Newman Lake for the summer and be back home, adding, “and neither of the children moved back in.”

 

            Questions for candidates welcomed

 

            Candidates for Spokane County Sheriff and Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney will visit during October.

 

            Prior to each luncheon program, club members are invited to send e-mails or offer questions on notecards for the candidates to respond.

 

            On Oct. 3, the Sheriff candidates are John Nowels and Wade Nelson.  Send your comments to moderator Chuck Rehberg.

 

            On Oct. 17, the Prosecuting Attorneys are Larry Haskell and Deb Conklin.  Send your comments to moderator Brian Hipperson.

 

           

 

 

            Closing the first Rotary quarter for the year, Club President Steve Bergman said despite Covid cares and other challenges “we are in pretty good shape.”

            “We have been able to find the things we wanted to find,” Steve said at the Sept. 26 club luncheon.

 

            In the president-for-a-quarter leadership plan, Michelle Fossum will serve as club president from October through December.

 

             Steve asked club Treasurer Lenore Romney to provide funding details.

 

            “Very fiscally sound,” Lenore said.

 

            “Our philosophy is to try to have a break-even budget and we have done that,” she said.

 

             Lenore said the 2022-23 budget approved by the club board is for $8,770.  Some pending possible expenditures may raise that slightly, but still within target ranges.

 

            One club member joked that if we need more money we should just have Eric Johnson serve more often as the sergeant-at-arms as the kitty grows when he asks questions not answered in weekly club trivia challenges.

 

            Lenore said the annual fund-raising target for the club is about $15,000.  Some of the $13,000 projects include Holmes Elementary programs like annual school supplies, Golden Hero awards, Holmes Hero t-shirts, and The Principal’s Emergency Fund.  Funds also are raised for community projects, Saling Scholarships, and Rotary international projects.

 

            “The key thing is that every member of the club do something” for the fund-raising, Steve and Lenore said.  The club currently has 18 members.

 

            Much of the fund-raising can be directed through the club’s charitable fund, where money can be itemized as a 501(c)3 account.  Club member Bill Simer coordinates that fund.

 

            The fund succeeds former annual dinners for fund-raising events.  Asked when it would be a good time to pay funds, Bill said, “Now would be good.”  Some members will time funding to include the calendar year end dates in December, he added.  Lenore said other members make quarterly contributions.

 

            On the topic of speaker gifts, Lenore has coordinated with the downtown Mobius Science Center to provide a variety of passes at attractive rates so that Holmes students and/or parents may visit the popular venue.  These passes, in honor of our weekly speakers, will be awarded to deserving students by the Holmes staff.  This is in lieu of the books added at the Holmes library.  Leaders at Holmes said the school is very excited to have the Mobius program connection.

 

            Bergman also said the quality of speakers at the club has been great.”  Candidates are slated in October and November will include programs on veterans’ issues.

 

            He said projects included the school supply program in August and possibly a resumption of the club’s Tom’s Turkey Drive program, which was canceled by Covid the past few years.

 

            The club also will conduct its annual holiday gift program for needy Holmes students and their families.

 

            Michelle Fossum is checking into a possible fall cruise on Lake Coeur d’Alene for the club.  A club Christmas gathering will be planned, but it is still undecided whether a Holmes choir will be involved.  Sandy Fink offered her home for the club gathering to celebrate the holidays.

 

            In summary, Bergman said, “The team effect on getting speakers has been good and the president-by-committee program is doing well.”

 

             Bulletin editors: Chuck Rehberg and Sandy Fink

 

 

 

 

 

            John Mailliard talked about sudden one-inch rains which flooded extremely arid Death Valley areas.

 

            Bill Simer was happy to quickly recover from a mild Covid case.

 

            Steve Bergman added $2 for a wedding party at St. Ignatius, Mont., for Colin and Kelsey Prestesater.

 

            Michelle Fossum was happy for a family gathering at South Padre Island, Texas, and other nearby venues at space facilities, where Terry’s brother-in-law worked and served on the space shuttle.

 

            Eric Johnson was happy that his daughter has earned a volleyball scholarship at Western Washington University.

 

           

            If there is one word to raise a hot-topic issue it would be “homelessness.”

 

            Local media have had a daily barrage of stories on “Camp Hope” in East Spokane and other smaller tent city venues in the area.

 

            One thing most area residents agree about the homeless issues is: they are complicated.

 

            At the Aug. 8 club luncheon board member Bill Simer showed a video to help focus discussion, understanding, and, hopefully, some answers about homelessness.

 

            Bill showed the video – “Housing and Help” -- from Gavin Cooley, who from 2003 to 2020 served as a top finance and investment manager for the City of Spokane.

 

            Cooley worked to find financial solutions during six mayors, including three Republicans and three Democrats.

 

            On Aug. 29, Gavin and Ben Stuckart will visit the club luncheon to continue the discussion.  Stuckart, Spokane City Council president from 2012 to 2019, now is board chair for Continuum of Care, an agency hip deep in homeless issues.

 

            Gavin’s video featured a discussion with Edward Byrnes, a social work educator, who talked how Spokane lost so many good middle-class jobs when Kaiser Aluminum Mead and other production positions were eliminated.

 

            Byrnes said that changed the character of neighborhoods and a comfortable life-style that left with the jobs.

 

            So the much smaller number of homeless, often camping along the trains, were just sent out on the rail cars.  But now, he said, those train rides have left, leaving tents and old RVs to forage under bridges or on open land.

 

            Cooley said Spokane’s “astronomical housing” 72 percent gains in the past three years have eliminated home-buying for many and out of reach for many apartment dwellers.

            “It used to be an affordable housing market,” Cooley said.  Now average prices have risen from $250,000 to $430,000, he said, adding “average wages have only increased 14 percent.”

 

            That is part of the homelessness issue, where, for example, Camp Hope has grown from 150 a day to 500 or more.

 

            Cooley visited Houston, the fourth largest city in the country, to learn how that city works on homeless issues, cutting its total by 65 percent.

 

            On the video, Cooley and Byrnes agreed that finding some solutions to homelessness in Spokane is doable.

 

            “It’s still on a scale that we can do something,” Byrnes said.

 

             Cooley said: “The time is right, but we need to work together.  We all need to get under the same tent.”

 

            “You want to think there is a silver bullet, but it’s not just one thing to do, and how we got here.”

 

            The questions arise from issues of poverty, drug use, mental health, lack of opportunity and many others.

 

            The “tent” will need to be big.  Discussion about the size and scale of the problems will continue Aug. 29.

 

Bulletin editors: Chuck Rehberg and Sandy Fink

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Several members, Bob Romney, John Mailliard, and Ron Noble, shared their birthdays, Ron in January and Bob and John this month. 

 

           Bon Voyage to the Romneys and the Bergmans on their upcoming trips.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Sandy Fink, $2 in honor of Scott McQuilken named Whitworth University President.  Scott, previously named Interim President at Whitworth, was club president in 2002-03.

 

            Bill Simer, $2 to celebrate former EWU players Cooper Kupp, slot receiver of the LA Rams, and Nnamka Samson Ebukam, linebacker of the 49ers, who competed in the NFL National Conference championship game. Kupp scored two touchdowns in the Ram’s win.

 

            Colin Prestesater in honor of his wife, Kelsey, joining the Cooney Law Firm, an associate of Steve Bergman, our club’s immediate past president.

 

            Melinda Keberle to celebrate that she and son Landen are finally healthy after a bout of Covid.

 

            Responses needed from all club members

        Club President Lenore Romney will lead a “club governance” session at the Feb. 7 luncheon to discuss ideas on organization and duties.  “It’s time to get creative,” Lenore said.  “We still need a new president for the next Rotary Year (which starts July 1).”

 

            “We want to hear from every member,” she said, adding that those who cannot attend next Monday will receive an e-mail or phone call.  “It’s too important not to deal now with these club issues,” she said.

 

 

            A wine tasting and potluck supper is planned Monday, Feb. 14 at the home of Michelle and Terry Fossum.  Members and spouses are invited and the dinner is in place of the usual Monday lunch.  The club’s holiday dinner Dec. 6 was postponed by several inches of snow and next month’s Valentine gathering provided a timely alternative.  Please contact Michelle if you would like to attend.

 

 

            Club members John Mailliard and Bill Simer shared their travels and varied career paths in their classification talks Jan. 31.

 

            Mailliard was born in Long Beach, Calif., and grew up in the Burbank area.

 

            John, using a bagful of props, talked about his U.S. Marine Corps life as “a back seater” in a sleek Marine Phantom F-2 jet, including 373 combat missions in Vietnam.

 

            He said the Phantom soars up to “22 miles a minute,” often flying 450 knots just 100 feet above the landscape.  He said some back-seat assignments also meant sitting in the injection seat for up to 5 hours.  He noted the cramped quarters did not include a lavatory.

 

            Mailliard showed small anchor pins and other decorations on his Marine ball cap.

 

            After his service time, John briefly worked at a savings and loan bank in Beverly Hills, noting that Jack Benny often walked by passed a nearby haberdashery.

 

            Another career beckoned as John joined the FBI in 1972, working in several assignments in Oregon, Virginia and California bureaus until he was moved to Pocatello, Idaho, to help organize computerizing the agency.

 

            John has been in Spokane 7 years with family here.  His dad had been a Rotarian and John went to a few club luncheons until another member asked if he wanted to join.  “Sure,” John said, “sometimes you just have to ask.”  

 

           

 

            Bill Simer, our club treasurer, said he was born and grew up in “a working class neighborhood” of northeast Spokane.  His sister, 7 years older, helped Bill read and write, he said.

 

            “My neighborhood was a cool place.  We often played baseball in the street,” he recalled.

 

            Bill said his father and mother met in the service in England.  Bill’s dad ran the Ace Auto shop downtown, which led him to a life-long passion for cars and motorcycles, especially auto racing. 

 

            When his dad was killed in an automotive accident, Bill said, his mom “didn’t even drive.  But she was a good seamstress and the Bon Marche department store hired her.”

 

            Then the Bon (later Macy’s) hired Bill.  He also worked as a driver for the Spokane Daily Chronicle.

 

            At Rogers High School, Bill said he did not want to go to college, but he later changed his mind and focused on Evergreen in Olympia or WSU in Pullman.

 

            After a year and a half, Bill said, “his choices were to buy beer or books,” and his grades suffered.  But Bill came back to WSU and asked each classroom teacher if he could try again.  Only one teacher said no, Bill said.  

 

            When someone suggested an accounting class, Bill said “it was simple” and his path went to jobs at Coopers and Lybrand, then to American Sign and Indicator, a national developer of electronic time and temperature signs.

 

            One of the proprietors, Luke Williams, “took me under his wing.  He was a great mentor,” Bill said. 

 

            When AS&I was sold to a San Francisco firm, and a long 2-year commute ensued.  But Luke Williams organized another firm in Spokane and named Bill as chief financial officer.

 

            Bill then moved to the McDirmid , Mikkelsen & Secrest CPAs which merged with Eide Bailly, where Bill stayed until retirement last year.

 

            He has been active in a number of organizations, including leadership roles in the Fox Theater, Spokane Symphony, Centennial Trail, Animal Sanctuary and Innovia Foundation.

 

            Former Rotary North member Mark Lang asked Bill to join our club in 1996 and Bill has served as treasurer three times.

 

Bulletin editors: Chuck Rehberg and Sandy Fink

 

 

 

 

            John Mailliard was happy about his trip to the Oregon Coast, but wondered why some businesses had strict masking rules while others ignored masking.

 

            Colin Prestesater, celebrated the opening of his office opening in the American Legion Building.

 

            Guest Rotarian, Mary Joanis, added $1 to celebrate distribution of her energy drink and another $1 as she heads to the Cabo San Luis area in Mexico.  She said she will join us back here in July.

 

 

            A wine tasting and potluck supper is planned Monday, Feb. 14 at the home of Michelle and Terry Fossum.  

 

            Members and spouses are invited and the dinner is in place of the usual Monday lunch.  The club’s holiday dinner Dec. 6 was postponed by several inches of snow and next month’s Valentine gathering provided a timely alternative.

 

            Michelle, our club’s board secretary, will add details soon.

           

            If proposed state legislative measures were snowflakes, Chris Cargill would be knee deep in drifts.

 

            Cargill, longtime director in Eastern Washington for the Washington Policy Center, talked about the blizzard of proposed legislative items at the club’s Jan. 24 luncheon.

 

            Cargill has been with the WPC since 2009 and has visited our club a few times in past years. The policy center, he says, is a non-partisan free market think tank, often described by others as a conservative watchdog on discussing alternatives usually promoted by Democratic legislative leaders.

 

            This “short,” 60-day legislative session has some 2,000 bills in play, while the longer sessions usually deal with 3,000 or more bills, Cargill said.

 

            One topic often mentioned is the proposal to allow a capital gains income tax measure, which was introduced last year and is scheduled for a summary judgment court date Feb. 4 in Douglas County.

 

            One fiscal “hot button” government reform in any discussion is introducing an income tax.  Washington is one of six states without an income tax, but there have been many attempts to change that.

 

            Cargill said Washington residents have rejected 10 different measures over the years that would install an income tax.

 

            Any excise tax in the state must by law be a flat tax, not graduated by income levels, he said.

 

            Discussing Covid issues, Cargill said the WPC would like to see emergency measures by the governor limited to 30, 60 or 90-day limits.

 

            “An emergency measure shouldn’t last two years without having the Legislature getting involved sooner,” he said.

 

            The WPC organizes ideas in eight areas: agriculture, education, the environment, government reform, health care, small business, transportation and workers’ rights.

 

            Affable and able, Cargill has an encyclopedic amount of dollar sizes and policy directions…and he could probably name almost all of the 2,000 bills in play.     

 

Bulletin editors: Chuck Rehberg and Sandy Fink

             It was 79 degrees at noon on Jan. 3 in the Cabo San Lucas area of Baja California while Mary Joanis was talking about her home Barriles Rotary Club.  Spokane reached 34 degrees.

 

            The low Monday night at St. Luke’s Cape was 67 degrees.  Spokane hit the mid-20s.

 

            Mary and husband Phillip (Paco) came to Spokane to help welcome a godchild.

 

            Mary grew up in Portland and Phillip in Bend, Ore., and she said they may come back to Spokane for the family.  She also wants to start an “arbonne” skin care and wellness business.

 

            In a few weeks, Mary and Phillip will drive the 2,000-mile trip to Cabo San Lucas.  Their pictures and stories showed a little less glitz than the high-end resort town, which even has a Waldorf Astoria hotel.

 

            Her Rotary club in Los Barriles (“the barrels”) shows a fountain with gushing water from barrels.  The area has just 9 inches of rain (with no snow) per year, about half the Spokane area total.

 

            The local industries are tourism and sport fishing. The fishing includes rays, sharks, mahi mahi and marlin.  Pods of whales cruise around the tip of the peninsula.  Mary said her home club of 19 does not meet in the hot summer months.  Ironically, Phillip said local stores do not sell fish.  Local residents just see what fresh fish is brought into the harbor for the day.

 

 

Bulletin editors: Chuck Rehberg and Sandy Fink

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Should the club hold a Valentine’s party?

 

            If the Covid chaos abates quickly, club Secretary Michelle Fossum raised the question about having a Feb. 14 gathering since the holiday party scheduled Dec. 6 was postponed when snow and ice made travel difficult.

 

           The small gathering at the Jan. 3 luncheon said a potluck Valentine’s Day event on Monday, Feb. 14, would be a good idea…depending on more snow or less Omicron and other Covid woes.  The club directors will discuss this and all members are welcome to comment.

 

           

            Just six members and one guest weathered the snowy, sloppy streets for the first club luncheon of 2022.

 

            Half of the club members were “Steve,” including immediate past-president Steve Bergman, director Steve Perry and Steve Boharski, also a past president, who talked about his Christmastime visit to the Galapagos Islands.  Steve Perry recalled his visit to the Galapagos in 1964. 

 

           Steve Boharski said he will present a slide show of his trip at a future club luncheon. The Galapagos Islands, a nature treasure, are 563 miles west of Ecuador.

 

            The club guest was Mary Joanis of the Barrilles Rotary Club near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  She will the club’s speaker next week.

 

Bulletin editors: Chuck Rehberg and Sandy Fink

 

Dec. 6:  No luncheon meeting. Potluck at Fossum home in the Spokane Valley.  Gifts will be collected for the Holmes Holiday Drive. 

 

Dec. 13: Rotary lunch, Noon, at the Bark.  Speaker: Dr. Francisco Velazquez, Spokane County health officer.

 

Dec. 20, Dec. 27: No meetings.  Rotary lunches resume Jan. 3.

 

 

            Potluck and presents: As noted, the club’s annual holiday dinner will be a potluck gathering on Monday, Dec. 6 at 5:30 p.m. at the home of Michelle Fossum. (Map details will be e-mailed.)  All members and spouses are invited.  Let Michelle know what you are bringing, such as salads, appetizers and desserts.

            Remember to bring your wrapped gifts and tags for the Holmes Elementary Christmas Drive for 40 families.  Please contact President Lenore Romney before Dec. 6 if you cannot attend.

 

            Leader(s)—ship: As the calendar year concludes, the club still is seeking a president for Rotary 2021-22.  Club President Lenore Romney said a leader is needed soon to prepare for RI’s president-elect role early next year.  Romney said some clubs are organizing a small president’s cabinet where members can share some of the duties, including leading weekly meetings.  In those clubs a president-designate leads the club.

 

 

          John Mailliard was happy that kids in his family helped bake holiday apple crisp.  Michelle Fossum enjoyed 14 guests for Thanksgiving and Steve Perry likewise had 12 guests. In the sports column, Dave Petersen cheered the Cougs’ Apple Cup win, Steve Boharski loved the Zags and Bill Simer toasted the Eagle football win. Chuck Rehberg noted the passing of Lee Elder, age 87, who was the first Black golfer The Master’s at Augusta, Georgia.

 

             Continuing the fine presentations of club member classification talks were Steve Boharski and Michelle Fossum. 

 

            Steve, born in Kalispel, MT, joined the club in 1999 after he and wife, April, bought the practice of the Garland Animal Clinic on West Garland from Roger Harder, a long-time Spokane North club member.  Steve served as club president in 2009-10.

 

            Noting tremendous change in recent years in veterinary care, Steve said dogs and cats are no longer just pets, “they are family members.”

 

            Most of the same types of diagnostic tools, like MRIs, which are used on people now are used on pets, he said.  Steve added that some obese people not usable in smaller MRIs are taken to WSU for the same machines used to work on horses.  There also are pet psychologists and naturopaths for pets, he said.

 

            From the small clinic, Steve and April moved to a larger clinic a few blocks west.  They now have 10 veterinarians working there, he said.

 

            The pet mania now includes several forms of insurance and there are types of veterinary law to deal with, he said. 

 

            Steve and April have four children, two sons and two adopted daughters.  Steve said he hopes the older son, now at WSU, will take over the clinic at some point so he can continue with his three recreation passions, fly fishing, bird hunting and travel.

 

            The family plans to go to the Galapagos Islands for Christmas. 

 

 

            Club Secretary Michelle Fossum was born in Minot, N. D. and lived there through high school.  Michelle joined Spokane North in 2006.

 

             “I was a complete tomboy,” Michelle said, adding she helped her dad install heating and air conditioning units and loved stock car races.

 

            She said her mom said the races “were no place for a girl” and preferred dance, which Michelle thought “silly.”

 

            She said she moved with her mom to the Spokane area and Michelle picked EWU, planning on becoming a dental assistant.  But she “hated chemistry” and loved a good class on governmental law, which led her GU Law. 

 

            Michelle worked in estate planning and probates and one major client is the Spokane County Health Office which has often been in the news media during the Covid pandemic and the departure of one health officer who was replaced by Dr. Frank Velazquez, scheduled to visit our club Dec. 13.

 

            She and husband, Terry, have three boys, two work at Yokes Grocery and one is a "Fusion Analyst" working in Baltimore.  

 

 

 

 

Nov. 29:  Rotary lunch, Noon at the Bark.  Classification talks: Michelle Fossum and Steve Boharski.

 

Dec. 6:  No luncheon meeting. Potluck at Fossum home in the Spokane Valley.  Gifts will be collected for the Holmes Holiday Drive. (See below.)

 

             Past-District Gov. Bev Reed joined the meeting to sell tickets for her Aurora Northwest Rotary Club’s annual drive to support community programs and services.  The winning grand prize $20 ticket is a $5,000 amount for a luxury vacation or a special dream of his or her own.  Most of the 9 members at the meeting bought tickets, and Bev said she was “amazed by the support.”  

 

 

 Dave Hayward, appropriately wearing a sharp crimson and gray jacket, contributed $5 to celebrate the WSU win over Arizona and hope for a Coug win over the Huskies.  Dave also added $5 for a Thanksgiving  trip to South Carolina.

 

John Mailliard added a dollar when he and his wife had a pleasant holiday trip when a 7-year-old young lady “had a ball” at a Target store.

 

 

 Bluetooth music systems, Fortnite player cards, a big assortment of toys and a wide variety of clothing items are among the presents club members will provide for Christmas at 40 Holmes Elementary’s holiday drive.

 

 Total items of each tag is $60 per student.  Gifts should be wrapped and clearly labeled on the outside of the items by the alphabetized list of families.  The gifts are due Monday, Dec.  6, at the potluck dinner starting at 5:30 p.m. at     Michelle and Terry Fossum’s house. Michelle said the event will include a wine-tasting with a variety of varietals.

 

            Those not attending the potluck should contact club President Lenore Romney to make other arrangements.

 

 

 

 

 

Nov. 22:  Noon meeting at Bark - Fellowship.

 

Nov. 29: Noon meeting at Bark – Classification talks from Steve Boharski & Michelle Fossum

 

Dec. 6:  Holiday Potluck Dinner at Fossum home starting at 5:30pm.  Gifts will be collected for the Holmes Holiday Drive. (See below.)

 

 

            Tom’s Turkey Drive:  No formal club action is planned this season in conjunction with Tom’s Turkey Drive because the event will not take place at Rosauers sites this year due to Covid.  However, volunteer opportunities exist for the re-engineered event on Tuesday, Nov. 23 at the Spokane Fairgrounds.  Sign up at the Second Harvest website volunteer page – http://vhub.at/TomsTurkeyMainPage.    

 

            Holiday Parade: Club 21 Rotary is spearheading a group of Rotarians from all area clubs to walk in a downtown holiday parade at 3 p.m. on Nov. 20.  Family members ages 12 and older are welcome to join and a social gathering will follow after the parade at approximately 5:00 p.m. at the Bark restaurant.  Email executivedirector@rotaryspokane.com to sign up to walk with the Rotary group.

 

Steve Boharski contributed $20 “because it’s a great time to be a Coug, an Eagle, a Bobcat and a Zag.”  He added another dollar because paperwork closed that day on his new Priest Lake cabin.  

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            Potluck Fellowships:  Here are some pictures of the potlucks held at Dave and Robin Hayward's and Steve and Bernie Perry's homes!  Melinda Keberle also attend the fun at the Perry home.

 

                                                                                                                 

 

 

                                                                                                               

 

 

 

            Only a few tags remain for the 40 students and families for the Holmes Elementary Christmas Drive.  With a table-full of instructions and itemized tags, the assortment of toys and clothes were quickly selected.  Gift budget per student is $60.

 

            Gifts should be wrapped and clearly labeled on the outside of the items with the Family Letter and student name on your Tag.  The gifts are due Monday, Dec. 6, at the potluck dinner starting at 5:30 p.m. at Michelle and Terry Fossum’s house.

 

            Michelle said the event will include a wine-tasting with a variety of varietals.

 

            Those not attending the potluck are asked to contact club President Lenore Romney to make other arrangements prior to December 6th.

 

 

 

Nov. 8: Rotary lunch, Noon at the Bark, new member: Colin Prestesater, induction

 

Nov. 9: Home potlucks  (see below).

 

Nov.15:  Rotary lunch at the Bark. Name tags claimed for Holmes Holiday Drive.

 

 

            Potluck:  Two gatherings are planned on Nov. 9, with room for six members and spouses at the homes of Dave and Robin Hayward, 5121 S. Lincoln Way, and Steve and Bernie Perry, 2207 S. Katy Ct.

            The Haywards have two remaining seats available and the Perrys have six spots open.  Contact Lenore Romney if you would like to attend one of the events.

 

            Bark Fall Luncheon Menu:  the new fall menu is now posted on the web site.  Just look under the Links in the right hand column.

 

 

            Dave Hayward chipped in $1 to celebrate the WSU Cougars over Arizona State.  “Best game in a long time,” Dave said.  Nancy Hanson added $1 to the Cougs’ win.

 

            Michelle Fossum celebrated her son, Seth, of a return from military service, due that night.

 

            Steve Perry added to the kitty for his favorite Halloween costumes – both ages about 5-year olds, one with a Biden mask and one with a Trump mask.

 

        

            The scheduled speaker, Chris Cargill of the Washington Policy Center, called an hour before the luncheon saying unfortunately he had to cancel for a non-Covid reason.  Chris’s presentation will be rescheduled.

 

 

 

Nov. 1: Noon lunch at Bark – Chris Cargill – Washington Policy Center

 

Nov. 8: Noon lunch at Bark – Fellowship – Colin Prestesater will be inducted

 

Nov. 9: November Potlucks:  two homes:  Hayward’s and Perry’s:  due to seating limits 3 couples may attend each one – watch for signup emails!

 

Nov.15: Noon lunch at Bark – Holmes Christmas wish list tag pickup

 

 

Steve Boharski’s  lake place is his new purchase moving across Priest Lake.  When they loaded their boat with their furnishings, a rocker ended up on top and a neighbor told him that it reminded him of Jed Clampett!  That was a fun story since Dave Hayward had just completed a Sargent at Arms with Beverly Hillbillies trivia and we had just sung the Ballad of Jed Clampett.

 

Lenore Romney said she was grateful that her Mom was not seriously injured in a recent car accident and that her sister was close by to help out her Mom.

 

Dave Hayward was happy that they had had a safe journey recently when he and Robin drove  3,113 miles on a 3-week trip to Arizona.   He said the freeways going and coming were something else.

 

Potluck: Thirteen members/spouses gathered on Oct. 19 at Ron & Edie Schurra’s home.  Here are some pictures of the happy event!  Attending were Robin and Dave Hayward, Chuck and JoAnne Rehberg, Melinda Keberle, Ron and Edie Schurra, Steve and Bernie Perry, John and Catherine Mailiard.

 

 

                                                                                            

 

 

                                                                                          

 

 

 

 

     

 

 

            Bob Romney shared that both of his parents, now 95, are still living in their own home and with their wits about them.  He said they were doing very well!!

 

            His father is a retired anthropologist and while he was seeking his degrees from Stanford and Harvard, the family moved back and forth between the west and east coasts a lot.

 

            When they were in California Bob decided to try out for the track team, specifically the 440 and the pole vault.  He said the 440 was tough and he fainted at the end of the race so it was decided that pole vaulting was for him.  He was able to successfully reach the height of 11 feet 6 inches, but that height wouldn’t win him a medal in Southern California. 

 

            Then they moved again and this time in Massachusetts Bob again joined the track team for the pole vault event.  When he told them that he could vault 11 feet 6 inches, they were astounded as the school record was only 11 feet…he became the star of the show.

 

            After high school, he attended BYU majoring in Graphic Design.  A call late in his senior year and invitation from his Dad to join him on a sailboat roundtrip from Acapulco to Columbia, South America brought a special bond between Bob and his Dad.  One which they still share today as they review old logs and listen to audio recordings of ocean and winds.

 

            Bob held a variety of jobs after they returned including, installing cable TV in the winter in Wisconsin; a stint at the Big Sky Resort in Montana as a nighttime lock smith, and a job as a draftsman with the Bridge Bureaus in Helena, Montana

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            As his work progressed Bob would experience the steps of the growing computer industry.

 

            He learned the AutoCad program, an application for computer-aided drafting and design and eventually printed circuit board designs for airport parking systems.

 

            Bob then opened his own firm for tech planning:  Romney and Associates where they developed 3 to 5 year plans for customers.

 

            20 years ago upon moving to Spokane Bob became an independent consultant.  He indicated it took 3 to 5 years to build the needed network in the community but after that the business did very well.

 

            Bob now is semi-retired and has become a “Fleet” manager – still loving that sailboat!

 

 

 

 

            Chuck was born March 1, 1946, making him, like some in our club, one of the first Baby Boomer generation – those raised from 1946 to 1964. 

 

            Chuck was born in Milwaukee and adopted in a Catholic orphanage in March, 1947.  Mom was a nurse and Dad a truck driver.

 

            Chuck was raised in Catholic schools and won his first writing award when the parish priest ran a 3^rd grade essay contest.  His entry earned him $1 – but just the idea of a parish priest giving back money was notable.

 

            Chuck was the editor for the 6^th grade newsletter and writing for school papers continued through high school.

 

            Chuck moved to the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee – UWM and wrote for the UWM Post and covered sports and music.

 

            Chuck and JoAnne married in 1968 and seeking masters’ programs, moved to the University of Oregon in Eugene.  Chuck’s thesis dealt with newspaper coverage of consolidation in Nashville and St. Louis.

 

            In June 1969, Chuck accepted a position in Spokane with the Daily Chronicle.

 

            In 1972 Chuck was named assistant city editor and then in 1980 became city editor.

 

            During these times Chuck had opportunity to report on many community stories:  Sunshine Mining fire, Expo ’74, Riverfront Park, Kevin Coe case to name a few.

 

            In 1984 Chuck moved to the business side and became assistant to the general manager. 

 

            In this role staff members were asked to join three community activities.  Chuck selected:  United Way, Sister Cities, and Spokane North Rotary.

 

            In 1996, Chuck was asked to operate the newspaper’s Business Section which continued to his early retirement.

 

            So what is the future of newspapers???

 

            Advertising has changed and so has the journalistic side.  Many papers publish only three times per week:  Wednesday food ads, Friday weekend entertainment and Sundays.

 

            So far, Spokane is surviving and we have just lost one day a week with a print paper.  However, how many readers under 50 read a newspaper these days?

 

            “When we did investigative reporting, it often took weeks to develop ideas, check and re-check sources and package the copy and photos.  How much diligence does that journalism get now?”

 

            “The media have changed and the messages have changed.  Wary customers should know what they are getting.”

 

 

 

 

Oct. 25: Noon lunch at Bark - Classification talks: Bob Romney and Chuck Rehberg.

 

Nov. 1: Noon lunch at Bark – Chris Cargill – Washington Policy Center

 

Nov. 8: Noon lunch at Bark - Fellowship

 

Nov.15: Noon lunch at Bark – Holmes Christmas wishlist tag pickup

 

          

            Tom’s Turkey time: KREM’s annual holiday drive will not be staged at Rosauers stores this year because of Covid, but club members can help out at 2^nd Harvest on Tuesday, Nov. 23 at the Spokane Fairgrounds.  You need to sign up for a shift at http://vhub.at/TomsTurkeyMainPage or Contact club President Lenore Romney for assistance.

 

            Potluck: Five couples will be gathering on Oct. 19 at Ron Schurra’s home.  Another potluck dinner is planned in November.

 

 Happy Buck$:  No contributions this time.

 

           

            In the best club meeting of the year, 23 Rotarians jammed the back room at the Bark to honor a major donor, a past club president and the new principal at Holmes Elementary.

 

           

 

Club President Lenore Romney offered special praise and a club gift to former Club President Melinda Keberle, whose own parting ceremony was canceled due to the first Covid lock down in March of 2020.

 

 

 

          

             Lynn O’Connor, District Governor, praised John Mailliard for his “substantial contribution toward the goal of international understanding and peace.”

 

            Mailliard received diamond pins for he and his wife, who are both Paul Harris members.

 

            O’Connor said of John, “As a Major Donor, you are among a dedicated group of humanitarians who have committed themselves to helping others less fortunate.”

            “This special group of persons, are changing lives of children, young people and adults through a legacy of hope.”

            O’Connor added, “In appreciation for this investment in the future of humanity, the RI Trustees wish to express their gratitude by presenting these diamond pins.” 

 

            John said his dad joined Rotary 45 years ago and John still has his dad’s first Rotary pin – “a lapel pin the size of a fingernail.”

            Joining the meeting to honor John and offering their words of thanks to John for his cumulative contributions to the Rotary Foundation were Lynn’s husband and District Polio Plus chair, Ed; former District Governor Bev Reed; District Governor-elect Linda Bauer and her husband and District Annual Fund Chair, Jim; Assistant Governor Gary Stokes; and District Treasurer Gary Bowe.

 

 

           

            As every chair filled in Bark’s back room, Kale Colyar took his seat in a back corner, where he started his talk.

 

            The new principal at Holmes Elementary joked: “I’ll stand in the corner.  That was me as a kid.”

            Next to Colyar was Stephanie Lundberg, the Club’s good friend and past Holmes principal.  She will be principal at the new Denny Yasuhara Middle School.  Colyar said he learned everything about Holmes from her.

 

            Sandy Fink, introducing Stephanie’s post at the new middle school referring to construction underway, said “and it will open maybe in the Fall?”   Lunndberg replied: “There’s no maybe about it.”

 

            Colyar said he went to WSU as an undergrad in K-8 Elementary Education, then worked two years in Grand Coulee and then four years in Rathdrum teaching the 6^th grade.  He worked at West Valley’s Pasadena Park and received a master’s degree in administration at Whitworth.  He was an Assistant Principal at Whitman for one year and then at Homes for two years, Kale then became principal at Woodridge for five years before returning to Holmes this year.

 

            At Woodridge, he said, free and reduced lunches totaled 31 percent of the enrollment.  At Holmes the total is 94 percent.  “They know poverty and they know grit,” Colyar said

 

            Despite the continuing Covid and the poverty and bus schedule chaos, Colyar said “These kids are amazing.”

 

            “Every day, the kiddos are smiling and excited to be at school,” he said.  “Many of the kids wear Holmes T-shirts provided by the Rotary Club, rain, shine or whatever.”

 

            Colyar said he was amazed by the large amount of school supplies which the club provides each year.  “Many of these students do not have money for pencils or crayons or art supplies or even tissues,” he said.

 

            “These kids have expectations and want to set a picture of what their future can be,” Colyar said.

 

            He said the faculty members stay late, often until 5 or 6 p.m. to help.  “They feel it is a calling, not a job.”

 

            Colyar said if one Covid-positive student is found, the entire class must be quarantined.  “But we have a rock-star nurse,” he said, and the classes have stayed intact.

 

            Holmes now has 380 students, about 20 down from typical years.  But the mobility issues remain, with half of those who start school in September leave and half more arrive during the year. 

 

            Asked about mentoring programs and other club volunteering, Colyar said until Covid subsides the opportunities may be limited although the need is there.  Volunteers need to be vetted through the District office and provide proof of vaccination.

 

            Fink, a former North Central principal, said the club has been closely associated with Holmes since 2002. 

 

            President Lenore presented Colyar with a book for the Holmes library from the Character series about Benjamin Franklin.

 

            The continuing connections also might be called “amazing.”

 

 

 

Oct. 11: No Meeting; federal holiday.

 

Oct. 18: Rotary lunch, Noon at Bark. Speaker: Holmes Elementary Principal Kale Colyar.

 

Oct. 19: Rotary Potluck at Ron Schurra’s home. (Details on-line.)

 

Oct. 25: Rotary lunch, Noon at Bark, Classification talks: Bob Romney and Chuck Rehberg

 

 

            Meal time: Club President Lenore Romney said the revised meal plan at the Bark seemed to work much better.  As they arrived at the Oct. 4 meeting, members ordered and paid as they entered and meals were delivered promptly.

           

            Pot luck: Several members and couples have signed up for the pot luck dinner Oct. 19 at Ron Schurra’s home.  (See details in Lenore’s e-mail.)  Details for the November pot luck dinner will be available soon.  Again, plans can be canceled if Covid problems ensue.

 

            Turkey time?: KREM-TV anchor and weatherman Tom Sherry has mentioned on air that the annual “Tom’s Thanksgiving Turkey Drive” – in which the club’s members have participated for several years – may be relocated to the Spokane Fairgrounds, rather than at the usual Rosauers store outlets.  Lenore will check with 2^nd Harvest, the organizer, to see if members’ help would be needed for the event.  

 

             The club again plans to provide holiday gifts for 40 needy Holmes Elementary School students.  Lenore said gifts for individual students will be at the $60 limit. Tags will be distributed Nov. 15 at the Bark and the gift return is Dec. 13, either at Holmes or the Bark.

 

Happy Buck$:  No contributions this time. 

 

            Rotary youth groups featured

           

            Club member Steve Perry used his sergeant-at-arms position on Oct. 4 to discuss the history of Rotary youth groups.

 

            Few members had the answers, so learning about the topics added $1 contributions per member to club coffers.

 

            Perry said Interact high school Rotary affiliates was organized in Melbourne, Fla. In 1962.   Some members have been active at North Central High and perhaps elsewhere in Spokane.

 

            He said groups of Rotaract college-age members were founded in 1968 in Charlotte, N. Car., and another group was soon organized in Brisbane, Australia.  As the Rotary magazine noted last month, the 2020-21 outstanding awards for Rotaract project service drew 675 entries in 63 countries.

 

            In another off-shoot of RI youth, member John Mailliard said he helped organize three groups of middle school students when he was in California.

 

 

 

Oct. 4: Rotary lunch, Noon at Bark; Fellowship

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Oct. 11: No Meeting; federal holiday.

 

Oct. 18: Rotary lunch, Noon at Bark; Speaker: Holmes Elementary Principal Kale Colyar.

 

Oct. 19: Rotary Potluck at Ron Schurra’s home. (Details in email.)

 

Oct. 25:  Rotary lunch, Noon at Bark; Classification talks from Chuck Rehberg and Bob Romney

 

 

            Back to in-person meetings: Subsequent to our Monday meeting, President Lenore confirmed with Bark that they are open and glad to have us return for our lunch meetings starting October 4th.

            President Lenore Romney said to expedite the service the plan is to have members stop at the dining room counter and order and pay for your meal before heading in to the meeting room.

            Under Governor Inslee’s current rules, masks must be worn indoors at the restaurant.

 

            Pot luck: Several members and couples have signed up for the pot luck dinner Oct. 19 at Ron Schurra’s home.  (See details in Lenore’s e-mail.) 

            Lenore said if Covid issues intervene and hosts or guests “are not happy,” the fellowship events can be canceled.  The Club will keep planning events so long as members are interested in attending.

 

            Holiday plans: The club again plans to provide holiday gifts for 40 needy Holmes Elementary School students.  Lenore Romney said because of rising costs the gifts for each student will be $60, rather than the $40 for 40 in past                    years. Tags will be distributed Nov. 15 and gift return will be on Dec. 13 most likely at our regular club meeting at Bark.

 

Happy Buck$:  No contributions this time. 

 

            Class acts feature Nancy and Sandy

           

            Continuing to add the “class” in its line-up of member classification talks, Nancy Hanson and Sandy Fink shared their memories in a Zoom luncheon on Sept. 27. A full screen of 12 members participated.

 

            Both talked about major changes in their respective classifications. 

 

            Nancy, an audiologist at Columbia Hearing Center, talked about her 37 years in work with hearing-loss issues.

 

            Sandy talked about decades of change in education, especially involving non-education issues.

 

            Nancy Hanson said “the technology (of hearing help) is getting better and better.  And now the Baby Boomers have arrived!”  Boomers, born from 1946 to 1964, now reach an age where hearing-loss is widespread.  

 

            She said for people of all ages who have minor hearing loss issues, a number of over-the- counter devices are reaching the market, supplementing the “Big Five” manufacturers which dominated.

 

            Now warehouse-style stores and others have added options.

 

            “We have priced people out of many hearing programs.  It’s fun to see people who have been out of the market be able to come back,” she said.

 

            One financial challenge is that Medicare has not funded hearing loss programs, just as they have not funded dental care.  With the Baby Boomer ranks filling fast, she hinted that some financial help may be on the way.  At least some in Congress are discussing the issues.

 

            Also, she said, rapid growth of Medicare Advantage plans are expanding hearing loss programs.  That may force other insurance carriers to expand their options.

 

            The technology changes continue with a wide variety of new devices, including artificial chips in “plug and place” systems.

 

            But “it’s been a crazy year” with Covid issues and semi-conductor chip shortages, Nancy said.

 

            One tip to allay some costs, Nancy said is “have a hearing test, don’t ask for a hearing aid.”

 

            Nancy was Club President, 2016-2017.

 

            Sandy Fink has worked in education roles in several countries and in a few other states.

 

            She has taught or served as administrators in places, among, Turkey, Berlin, plus Portland and San Diego.  But the roads always came back to Spokane, especially to North Central, where she retired as principal.  Some overseas jobs were DOD (Department of Defense) schools.

 

            “After 34 years in education I had no energy left so I decided to retire.” Sandy said.

 

            “I moved every two years, so why would anyone hire me?” she joked.

 

            The answer, obviously, was quite a few school leaders.

 

            Working around the district brought her back to NC.

 

            Sandy said working at Ferris “was a cultural shock” when just one student would leave mid-year.  At NC, like at Holmes, the revolving door rotates far often. 

 

            Working at the School District, she saw the differences.  But she maintains that “everyone can excel.”

 

            The major shift for education in her decades, she said, is how many non-education issues teachers and administrators must deal with.  “The job is education, not all the social issues,” she said.  And she said, despite Covid, students need to be in school.

 

            Her administrative educational mantras: “organize and delegate and demonstrate trust in those who work for you”  and all students are capable of excelling – find the ways and believe in their abilities!

 

            For Sandy, the lingering Covid chaos has made her “antsy” to travel again.

 

            Her “bucket list” fills with plans for trips.  She loves to visit New York and has traveled from Budapest to New Zealand, among other places.  She also has visited all of the national parks.

 

            “I want to go somewhere, but (with Covid lingering) not just yet,” she said.

 

            Sandy joined Rotary in 1990, when Brian Hipperson was club president.  She said she still has the Rotary pin Brian handed to her when she joined.  In some years she even played the piano to accompany club songs.

 

            Sandy served as club president in 2000-01.

 

            Sandy’s  lasting advice from her mom: “Don’t leave Rotary.  They care about each other!”

 

 

 

Sept. 27: Rotary Zoom, Noon, Classification talks: Sandy Fink and Nancy Hanson

 

Oct. 4:  Lunch meeting at Bark – program TBA

 

Oct. 11:  No meeting due to federal holiday

 

Oct. 18:  Lunch meeting at Bark – program TBA

 

Oct. 19: Rotary Potluck at Ron Schurra’s home. (Details on-line.)

 

Oct. 25:  Lunch meeting at Bark – Classification talks: Chuck Rehberg and Bob Romney

 

 

            Chuck Rehberg donated a virtual dollar for the successful – despite the steady rain – of the dedication of the Spokane-Cagli Sister City sculpture in the Riverfront Park “Connections” garden and the rededication of the Kokanee Steel, Spokane’s sculpture.  The 1,300-pound marble Italian sculpture drew several dignitaries from the Seattle area, including an Italian vice consul and a former Sister Cities International board member.   Spokane-North members donated to the garden and organized the work project for its reflexology path.

 

            Ron Noble celebrated relatives from Twin Falls, Idaho, and other four grandchildren who toured Riverfront Park among other sites

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            Michelle Fossum was happy that a long summer’s work for the family’s Montana cabin was finished, “just in the nick of time” before early snows arrive.

 

            Bill Simer was ecstatic when he received word that his motorsports entry in rural England was accepted.  Bill will be racing in the “Good Wood Road Racing Club” race in mid-October.

 

Welcome!:  Joining the Sept. 20 Zoom meeting were Gary Stokes, assistant governor for District 5080  Area 8 and a member of Spokane Club 21, and Mary Joanis, a Rotarian from the tip of Baja, Mexico.   Gary, who introduced the district governor, is the manager of KSPS-TV.  Mary also spends time in Bend, Ore., and will visit Spokane as her first grandchild will be born here.

 

          
             In an engaging talk Sept. 20, Rotary District 5080 Gov. Lynn O’Connor discussed in detail the many challenges and opportunities for Rotary worldwide, nationally, the district and individual clubs.

 

             As the pandemic persists, O’Connor’s visit was done via Zoom.  She used the virtual venue to show the many “hats” – literally – that a district governor wears.  Using a variety of graphic headwear, Lynn wore a halo, a fedora, a pirate’s garb, a red bandana with white polka dots, among others.  She returned to the halo, saying, “sometimes I feel like I’m a symphony conductor.”

 

            As with many organizations, O’Connor said, the continuing Covid chaos has many Rotary casualties.

 

            Membership has dropped significantly, especially in the U.S.A., she said.  Leaders, from RI President Shekhar Mehta to all of the district governors, encourage every Rotarian to “bring a friend” and try to double enrollment.  RI Foundation funding also was challenged.

 

            “Last year was difficult,” O’Connor said, adding “there has been a litany of sacrifices.” But she said that there have been “silver linings,” such as the Zoom platform, “which showed us how we can meet differently.”

 

            She said Rotary is revisiting its total organization.  Leaders, she said, may become councils.  Various task forces are working to improve diversity, inclusivity and environmental issues.

 

            Peace conferences, especially in Africa, will also be on the RI agenda.

 

            One bit of the good news, O’Connor said, is that polio cases last year numbered “just two cases.”  She reminded club members that RI’s World Polio Day is Oct. 24.

 

            Concluding her presentation, Lynn urged members to attend the District Conference, May 13-15 in her home club in Colville.

 

            She hopes for in-person conference activities “hell or high water.”  In addition to the traditional golf tournament, a variety of activities will be available from the huge Colville National Forest.  In closing, O’Connor said, “What we in Rotary do best is change lives.”  To emphasize that point, she donned virtual sunglasses and a fake moustache.

 

 

 

Sept. 6: Labor Day: No meeting.

 

Sept. 13: No meeting.

 

Sept. 20: Rotary Zoom, Noon, District Gov. Lynn O’Connor

 

           

            If there is a panacea for the Covid pandemic, the club will begin a series of pot luck dinners in the 2021-22 Rotary year.

 

            Club President Lenore Romney said Ron Schurra has signed up to host the first dinner.  “No problems…just bring cash,” Schurra joked.

 

            Lenore said Steve Perry and Dave Hayward have agreed to host pot luck dinners in November.  Given the usual schedule of busy events in December, including the club’s traditional gift drive and annual holiday luncheon, Lenore said future pot lucks will resume in January.

 

           

            How to schedule club meetings during yet another wave of Covid crisis chaos?

 

            We live in a difficult time. We just have to be flexible,” Club President Lenore Romney said.

 

            While no meeting is scheduled on Labor Day, during the Aug. 30 meeting she worried aloud about how to proceed.

 

            Romney suggested having no meeting Sept. 13 to evaluate school openings and “take a pause.”

 

            District Gov. Lynn O’Connor of Colville was scheduled to make her official visit to the club on Sept. 20, but the 5080 District board, with the guidance of health officials, said no such in-person visits should be made.  Romney said that meant either use a Zoom meeting for the visit or delay the visit until the Covid chaos wanes.

 

            General agreement of the 13 club members on Aug. 30, preferred the Zoom option.

 

            Romney said the Sept. 27 meeting also might be done via Zoom, with final details to be determined.

 

            “I don’t want to see anyone get sick” by continuing in-person activities, she said.

 

            “September is a funky month.  We have to take small steps and re-evaluate in late September or early October,” she said.     

 

            Happy Buck$:

 

            Bill Simer donated $10 to celebrate a 43^rd anniversary and the 50^th anniversary of a Rogers High bandmate, recalling their “Louie, Louie” days. con

 

            Sandy Fink contributed “to thank all who helped open and stage school supplies at Holmes.”

 

           

            On Aug. 30, the club resumed a long dormant tradition of “classification talks.”

 

            Decades ago, those talks often were 2-3 minute snapshots about their past and current jobs. 

 

            Classifications were listed to limit having clubs from a large number of accountants, bankers, lawyers or other avocations.  The diversity strengthened Rotary.

 

            At times the back stories of many members really needed more time to show the often fascinating personal histories and just a good way to get to know club members.

 

            So, in lieu of another invited speaker, the Aug. 30 meeting was termed “The Ron and Ron Show.” 

 

            The show quickly turned into an entertaining “double feature,” with Ron Schurra and Ron Noble describing their childhoods, education and life’s work.

 

            In a dead-pan style, Ron Schurra said his life now means “have breakfast, walk the dog, have a second breakfast with my wife, walk the dog again, then have dinner.”

            But his brief bio belied his engaging discussion about his childhood in Cleveland in Catholic schools.  In one class, the nun, Ron said, marked his report card down and said Ron “talks too much and is very annoying.”

 

            Ron S. talked about chemistry and physics teachers who made a big difference.

 

            After college at St. Louis University, Ron served in the Peace Corps in Ghana, where, despite the pitfalls a native colleague encountered, that gentleman’s attitude was “I will be happy.”

 

            Ron S. followed that mantra during positions in health care administration from New York City to Hilo, Hawaii.  One stop was at Spokane’s Holy Family Hospital.  And we are happy he stayed here.

 

            Ron Noble talked about his dad moved the family from Arkansas to Mabton, Wash., in the Yakima Valley.

 

            A big part of the farmland involved horse-drawn vehicles, including hay-gathering machines.  Ron N. talked about “King” and Charley” and the nuances which made the pair successful, helped by his dad, “who was a mule-skinner.”

          

           When he managed to ruin the farm’s electric power machinery – and 18 cows had to be milked by hand, in the dark -- Ron’s real passion started.  His dad gave him a book on wiring and access to his “junk pile” of assorted machines, so Ron had a new base of knowledge.

 

            Ron N. also became a teacher at various levels and was in Naval electricity and technology during the Vietnam War.  Ron  also traveled to Memphis and he was there when the huge garbage strike fouled the town and Martin Luther King was killed. Ron also toured in the Phillipines, at Miramar’s Top Gun in San Diego before settling in Colville.

 

            One of Ron’s life lessons: From his dad, “if you are going to shovel shit, be the best shit-shoveler you can be.”  And don’t just give tech and math lessons, understand why those things matter personally. 

 

            After the two classification talks concluded, Bob Romney said of the two Rons, “you have made the bar very high.”

 

 

 

Aug. 30: Rotary lunch, noon. Classification talks: “The Ron (Noble) and Ron (Schurra) show.  Please send your lunch order to Lenore by 5pm on Sunday; Bark’s menu is posted on our Club website under “Links” on the right hand side of the homepage.

 

 

 

Aug. 23: CANCELLED - August 23^rd meeting at Holmes

 

Aug. 30: Rotary lunch, noon. Classification talks: “The Ron (Noble) and Ron (Schurra) show.  Please send your lunch order to Lenore by 5pm on Sunday; Bark’s menu is posted on our Club website under “Links” on the right hand side of the homepage.

 

Sept. 6: Labor Day: No meeting.

 

           

            Following a crew of members under the direction of coordinator Sandy Fink, the boxes of school supplies delivered from Staples were stored Aug. 16.  The supplies will be organized and stored in their permanent location by club members on Aug. 23 at Holmes Elementary.  A pizza lunch will follow.

 

            Coordinator Sandy Fink said the small mountain of tissues, pens, pencils, crayons, scissors and other items will be staged in Room 113, rather than in the closet space formerly used for several years.

             

            Welcome guests:  Noting that he met him while working out at the YMCA, Steve Perry introduced Terry Jordahl.  Both served on destroyers while in the Navy.

 

            Also at the Aug. 16 meeting was Colin Prestesater, introduced earlier by Steve Bergman.  Colin’s wife, a GU law student, is interning in Steve’s law office.

 

            Members’ thoughts:  President Lenore Romney asks members to think about hosting potluck dinners at their homes during the year.  “We can start next month, if someone wants to host in September,” she said.  If you would like to host a group of members, please email Lenore and let her know the month in which you are willing to host.

 

            Happy Buck$:

           

           To celebrate their 18^th anniversary, President Lenore Romney chipped in $18.  She and member Bob Romney celebrated with dinner at Luna.  At the Rotary luncheon at the Bark, Bob tested the new Zoom connection from home.

 

            Dave Hayward added a dollar admitting he left his badge at home.

 

            Noting that Hayward, during his invocation the previous week, asked that all members should find ways to commit an act of kindness at least one day, Chuck Rehberg added $3 for “some very good examples of kindness from three anonymous members.”

 

            Club notes high percentage of Paul Harris Fellows

           

            Some 14 of 19 club members in Spokane-North Rotary are Paul Harris fellows, signifying each has contributed $1,000 or more to the Rotary Foundation.

 

            President Lenore Romney said “that is outstanding for a small club like ours.”

 

            Lenore also shared that for the Rotary year ended June 30, 2021, clubs and members in our District 5080 collectively gave nearly $1.0 million to the Rotary Foundation!  Donations from our members contributed to that record-breaking total!

 

            She noted that Rotary’s organization in Chicago in 1905, and the RI Foundation was set up to fund worthy causes globally.  One of the most notable is the Polio Plus campaign to try to eradicate polio.

 

            Lenore said many club members have multiple Paul Harris designations.  Among the most decorated are John Mailliard with eight Paul Harris citations; Steve Perry with six; and Sandy Fink with four, Lenore said. 

 

            In an article in The Rotarian magazine, former RI Foundation chair Ron D. Burton talked about a special group which donates $1,000 each year to the Rotary Foundation and a “White Hat Society” group, started in Texas, in which each member donates $5,000 and challenges another Rotarian to match that total. 

 

            The annual pledges, started in California, signed us 55 members the first year (1999), and The White Hat group raised $75,000 in one day in 2004, Burton wrote. 

 

 

Aug. 16: SCHEDULE CHANGE - Rotary lunch, noon at Bark; fellowship and Club business.  Please send your lunch order to Lenore by 5pm on Sunday; Bark’s menu is posted on our Club website under “Links” on the right hand side of the homepage.

 

Aug. 23: SCHEDULE CHANGE – N OON.  Rotary project and lunch at Holmes Elementary for resupplying storage cabinet items (pencils, pens, crayons, etc.).  Pizza lunch follows.  (The WPC program with Chris Cargill has been rescheduled to 11/1.)

 

Aug. 30: Rotary lunch, noon at Bark. Classification talks: “The Ron (Noble) and Ron (Schurra) show.  Please send your lunch order to Lenore by 5pm on Sunday; Bark’s menu is posted on our Club website under “Links” on the right hand side of the homepage.

 

Sept. 6: Labor Day: No meeting.

 

            The club’s supply cabinet project has been moved back one week –to Monday, Aug. 23 – to allow Holmes staff to clean out a home for the supplies.

 

            Coordinator Sandy Fink said the small mountain of tissues, pens, pencils, crayons, scissors and other items will be staged in Room 113, rather than in the closet space formerly used for several years, and will be brought to the new storage cupboards on Monday, Aug 23^rd.. 

 

            Assorted boxes of other materials must be moved so club members can stage the supplies bought from Staples, Sandy said.

 

            As noted above, the Aug. 16 lunch will be at Bark.  

 

            Members’ thoughts:  President Lenore Romney asks members to share their thoughts or concerns to her about meeting in-person during the continuing Covid issues, the structure of the weekly meetings, and social activities. 

 

            With the rampant Delta variant, should we continue to meet in person?  Or should we Zoom back to that format?

 

            And should we reorganize the club meeting agendas to have guest speakers lead off, then follow the announcements, Happy Bucks and other items?  On meeting flow, it helps greatly if members pre-order lunch.  Sandy posted the Bark menu to the website so that it is always easily available to members.

 

            Members in attendance overwhelmingly supported the idea of holding pot-luck style dinner-socials at member homes.  More information to come as the Club plans to hold the first pot-luck dinner/social on a weeknight in September.

 

            Her plea: “Let’s communicate!” – please use whatever format you are most comfortable with - email, text, phone call or in-person at a meeting. 😊

 

            Universal challenge: In his invocational comments, Dave Hayward asked people, especially decision-makers, to abide by Rotary’s  Four Way Test.  He led the members in the familiar words: Is it the Truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

 

            Dave then challenged members and others to perform at least one act of kindness daily.

 

                        Sandy Fink, writing last week’s bulletin, added a “confessional” dollar for not citing her source about the speaker’s material.

 

                        Picking up the religious theme, Bill Simer wondered why no hand bells were in a recent Mass service and John Mailliard, recalling his family’s time in Pocatello when his wife threatened a late church bulletin copy with telling the author “you will kneel.”

            Each year in the U.S. approximately 15, 580 children are diagnosed with cancer.

 

            Leslie Woodfill, executive director of the American Childhood Cancer Organization of the Inland Northwest. joined us to share information about this local support group for families experiencing childhood cancer.

This is an independent local affiliate of the American Childhood Cancer Organization. Local affiliates across the country, like ACCO of the Inland Northwest, provide direct support for kids with cancer and their families through very practical and hands on means.

 

            We remain committed to our founding principles of being a voice for parents and kids. We are there with new patient information, experience, emotional support, financial assistance, respite, toys, and many other programs and services to ensure that kids don’t fight cancer alone. 

 

            American Childhood Cancer Organization Inland Northwest’s unique mission is to help each family cope with life during childhood cancer treatments and rebuild their lives after cancer from the experienced perspective of those who have been there before. Your donations will enhance the lives of children with cancer and their families. You will be providing emotional and practical support, education, patient advocacy, and the assurance that no child or family will have to fight cancer alone.

 

            Our Mission Statement:  “To educate, support, serve, and advocate for families of children with cancer, survivors of childhood cancer, and the professionals who care for them.”

We serve all children diagnosed with cancer from Eastern Washington and those traveling to Spokane, Washington from North Idaho and Western Montana for treatment. Funds raised locally remain in our communities to help children with cancer in the Inland Northwest.

…because kids can’t fight cancer alone!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 16: Rotary project and lunch at Holmes Elementary for resupplying storage cabinet items (pencils, pens, crayons, etc.).  

           

          

 

            An old familiar sound opened the June 21 club luncheon as President Steve Bergman gaveled the bell – something not heard since the Covid pandemic forced us to meet on-line in Zoom-land.

 

            And as Steve presided for his last meeting in the 2020-21 Rotary year, members shared memories in the new location – a meeting room at Bark, A Rescue Pub, 905 N. Washington.

 

            Treasurer Bill Simer asked if the name means people can take a dog home, too?

 

            Old routines quickly emerged.

 

            With just six members attending, “Happy Bucks” totaled $60, obviously showing how happy people were inching toward “normal,” whatever that means now.

 

            Dave Hayward mentioned how a baseball from a Spokane Indians game “fell into his hand” -- well worth his $1 fine for his lucky catch.

 

            Bergman shared some good news as the club won the “High Five Award,” Rotary District 5080’s recognition of “the top five donors in percentage of members’ contributions to the annual fund.”

 

            Steve noted that even without our club’s annual fund-raiser, all of the goals for Holmes School projects and other items were met.  He thanked the members for their generous contributions.

 

            He also commended the membership for staying with the club during the Covid-related difficulties.

 

            On July 1, Lenore Romney will be club president.  The installation is at 5:30,  Friday, July 9, at Sandy Fink’s house.

 

            Steve said the club still needs to have a new President-elect.

 

            Starting with this meeting, members can order from a menu, have a beverage, or do not have to order anything.

 

            Growing club membership is a top priority, Steve said.

 

            But summing all of the issues and challenges and successes during the last Rotary year, Steve said simply, “It’s been great.”       

 

 

 

 

 

            August 16: (Tentative) Rotary project and lunch at Holmes Elementary for resupplying storage cabinet items (pencils, pens, crayons, etc.).  

           

           

            As we “zoom” (sorry!)  forward to the new Rotary 2021-22 year, several big questions arise and all members will be invited to add their thoughts.

 

            At the June  7 zoom noon-time gathering, President-elect Lenore Romney and five other members discussed some of the issues for the next year. Included:

 

            How many meetings?

 

                        Should the club meet weekly (except holidays) and add social gatherings and projects to the list?

 

                        Responses varied.  Some prefer weekly contact, in person whenever possible.  Others like the idea of semi-monthly meetings with social and project dates as part of the regular weekly calendar.

           

                        Noting that it is difficult to arrange speakers, especially with our smaller numbers, one suggestion was to meet weekly, but schedule speakers just twice a month.

 

                        Weekly gatherings provide more frequent contact and eliminate the occasional guessing about which week is another luncheon meeting.  Regular weekly sessions, it was said, also makes it easier to organize holiday gift                       drives and other Rotary projects. Another point was that it is very difficult to recruit new members via Zoom.

           

 

                        Hopefully, not meeting in Zoom-land, but where and what.

 

                       Nectar in Kendall Yards and downtown require a catered lunch program, but that means we need to guarantee 20 lunches at each meal.  Since we stopped requiring lunches, whether members were there or not, the meals                       usually are cost-losers.

 

                       Another is locating a room where members could select and pay as they arrive.  Some might just want a beverage; many would have something from a menu.  And perhaps the entrees could be tailored to facilitate to make our               Rotary schedule.

 

                       One possibility is “Bark’s,” at 905 N. Washington.  The Nectar folks have opened that restaurant and possibly we could eliminate or minimize room charges and provide free parking in a central location.

 

            Add your thoughts.

           

                       Lenore Romney and other board members welcome input on these issues and other issues for the club in the new Rotary year, which starts July 1.  Some survey questions will be distributed and all club members are asked to                participate.

 

               

 

               

 

 

 

 

 

            Changes due: A leadership change is due at Holmes Elementary School as Kale Colyar, now principal at Woodridge Elementary, moves to Holmes in the fall, succeeding Stephanie Lundberg.  Her new assignment with District 81 was not named yet.

 

            “All good:” Treasurer Bill Simer announced that, despite the pandemic forcing cancellation of the annual fund raiser, “all of our commitments to Holmes projects have been fulfilled.”  

 

                     Eric Johnson celebrated a birthday April 12.

 

                     Lenore and Bob Romney said “they were treated like kings and queens” on a 3-day visit to various wineries in the Walla Walla area.

 

             Great Service Project at Second Harvest on March 26th --- Dave and Robin Hayward, Ron Schurra , Lenore and Bob Romney, and Sandy Fink worked together to put together food boxes of non perishable items for distribution to families in our community and area.  Some pics of the group:

                         

 

         

             Kim Schafer said one of the worst nightmares occur when new parents learn their new baby cannot hear.

 

            Schafer is development director for Spokane’s Hearing Oral Program of Excellence (HOPE).  She talked about the non-profit agency as 10 members Zoomed in for the April 12 club luncheon meeting.

 

            HOPE works in programs for birth to age 3, for a toddler group and for preschool students.

 

            She has three daughters and one had meningitis at age 3 when the severe hearing loss occurred.

 

            With that diagnosis, Schafer said, “All you hear is DEAF.  There is a whirlwind of emotions.  We bawled out our eyes.”

 

            The cure, for them, was a coclear implant.  The implant is a surgically neuroprosthetic device which bypasses the normal acoustic hearing process to stimulate the auditory nerve.

 

            After technicians adjust the unit and its small processor – often hidden under a head band – the result is sound.

 

            Schafer recalled hearing her daughter’s response to a toilet flushing – “I hear that!”

 

            The small HOPE classes help intensify the progress.  Schafer showed a “graduation class” phot with six students.

 

            At first, the agency was at 5^th and Sherman.  When our club members visited the HOPE school several years ago, the agency was in the RiverPoint campus area.  With the WSU medical school expanding, HOPE, which was founded in 2004, had to relocate to 1821 E. Sprague.

 

            Covid issues made difficult times for HOPE.  Schafer called it “incredibly difficult.”  Some programs were temporarily closed because parents could not meet at the program’s offices.  Fund-raising events like its annual “Hoe-down” became a virtual program and funding dropped from $234,000 in 2019 to $163,000 last year.

 

            But HOPE never lost hope.

 

            The coclear implants and processors have been improved and  smaller.  And the plan still is to have the students allowed to mainstream regular classes, rather than in special ed classes.

 

Bulletin editors: Chuck Rehberg and Sandy Fink

 

 

 

 

 

            Projects and Rotary Connection: Coordinator Lenore Romney and Sandy Fink on Monday, Dec. 14, will collect gifts from members for Holmes School from 3-5 p.m. (See below.) 

 

            Zoom Holiday Luncheon: At noon on Dec. 21 all club members are invited to wear Christmas items and share a brief on-line memory of years past.  President Steve Bergman will be chief elf.  Steve said that “this is not the usual holiday luncheon we have, but we will try the best we can” as the Covid chaos continues.

 

            Happy Bucks: Lenore Romney was happy that tags from all 38 families were filled.  Ron Noble agreed with another dollar. 

 

            PETS job filled: President Bergman said Lenore Romney has agreed to fill the vacant position of President-Elect Training Session for the remainder of the year, succeeding Steve when his term ends June 30

.           

           

            As a reminder, holiday gifts from needy children and families from Holmes Elementary School should be delivered to the school at 2600 W. Sharp between 3 and 5 p.m. next Monday.

 

            Coordinator Lenore Romney said administrators chose 38 families to participate.  Each student will receive gifts totaling $40.

 

            Romney said each gift should be wrapped and – on a tag with the gift -- placed with the name of the child and the alphabet letter of the family.

 

            Romney and Sandy Fink will greet members at the front of the school and gather gifts from each family into large bags to store in the supply closet until deliveries are made.

 

 

            PETS topic: Gold Shoes and Fighting Tigers

           

            On Dec. 7 Club President Steve Bergman showed a video of one of the most inspirational speakers at the regional district president-elect training session early this year.

 

            Steve said that Jordan J. Harrison, described as “a professional speaker, educator and social entrepreneur,” drew raves at the Seattle session attended by 750 Rotarians from several Northwest Rotary districts.  The meeting occurred just before the Covid 19 pandemic closed large gatherings.

 

            Harrison, born in Chicago, moved to San Diego when he was 11.  He said he gave his first speech when he was in the 8^th grade.  He often speaks at large Rotary gatherings.

 

            He was a graduate of San Diego State University and has a master’s degree in education from Harvard.   Now, he said, he is “First Director of College Town and Senior Director at Reality Changers.”

 

            He said he “focuses on students with a 2.0 GPA in jeopardy in dropping out and students who were gang affiliates.”

 

            With rapid-fire delivery and nimbly crossing the stage in his “gold shoes,” Harrison asks his audiences to “Face the Condition.  Change the conclusion.”

 

            He asks: “How do we create environments where every person can succeed, no matter where they come from?”

 

            Harrison says his gold shoes help diminish the tigers (obstacles and demons) which can derail our best plans.

 

            “There might be a lot of tigers that are chasing us,” Harrison said, “but perhaps the greatest victories we can be is finding the gold shoes.

 

            For Rotarians, he said, that might be a service project or something else. “But we need to out-run (with those golden shoes) that very thing that wants to destroy us.”

 

            Harrison adds: “Our happiness depends on it.  Our life depends on it.  Our nation depends on it.”

 

            Bulletin editors: Chuck Rehberg and Sandy Fink

 

            Projects: Coordinator Lenore Romney  will soon update plans for our “$40 for 40” gift drive for the needy children and families at Holmes Elementary.

 

            Spokane Connects:  A meeting – likely on Zoom – is planned at 4:30 p.m., Monday, Dec. 14. President Steve Bergman plans some surprises during the on-line gathering.

 

            Doing well: Our speaker, Eric Johnson, said his dad, Leroy, a longtime former club member, has recovered well from a procedure to replace stents.  Eric said the new procedure was done by a physician who had participated in Leroy’s earlier procedure about 20 years ago.

 

            Reminder: Lenore mentions that November is Rotary Foundation Month.  This is a good time to remember all of the thousands of good deeds worldwide that clubs help around the globe and around their own neighborhoods.

 

            Happy Bucks: (Remember those?) Steve Bergman celebrated that his son, Bret,  completed an 8-month Navy deployment in the South China Sea and is now back on a base in Japan.

 

            Bill Simer celebrates this week as his second retirement awaits at his Eide-Baille position.  Bill said he planned retirement last year, but was asked to return to the firm.

 

            Brian Hipperson contributed an “un-happy buck,” as he finally got back to his gym “to open his locker for a change,” only to hear Gov. Inslee’s dictums that gyms must be closed for a month because of Covid.

 

          

          

            For many people, as the Covid chaos continues, this has been the worst of times.

 

            But for the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene area’s residential areas, these have been the best of times.  Residential houses and apartments are selling faster than the proverbial hot cakes. Loan rates are staying near rock bottom.  And prices continue to soar at almost all levels.

 

            The only down sides are that there are not enough properties to sell and construction costs are soaring, too.

 

            Club member Eric Johnson, who is president of the Spokane Association of Realtors and a board member of area-wide and state associations, the sizzling data during the club’ Nov. 16 Zoom meeting.

 

            Eric said average house sales prices are $346,000, about double just 10 years ago.

 

            Average waiting time to sell is often about two weeks, when late-year typical sales five few years ago would average two months or more.

 

            “Two weeks now (for a house) now seems like three years then,” Johnson said.

 

            The lack of housing inventory puts on more price pressure on the properties, Eric said.

 

            “It’s like trying to sip a thick milkshake through a straw,” he said.

 

            With typical mortgage rates now under 3 percent, would-be buyers are eager to locate or relocate.  Apartments and house rentals are few and the monthly rents also are climbing steadily, Eric said.

 

            Housing sales prices have continued upward throughout the pandemic, with 40 sales listed at $1 million and more.

 

            Johnson said many of the top-end sales are in North Idaho, where, he says, “buyers from California show up on almost every plane load.”  Residents from Seattle and Portland also are scouring Inland Northwest properties, Eric said.

 

            While Spokane often tops $400,000 for new houses, Bellevue houses are above $700,000, he said.  “We are a bargain,” he said, “and we still have good reputations for schools and other things.”

 

            Asked about bigger traffic problems with growth here, Eric acknowledged the difficulties in several areas.  For example, traffic changes are needed near 57^th and Regal, he said.  And new developments like the old Sun Dance Golf Course, planned

for hundreds of new homes, will further clog arterials like Francis and Indian Trail.

 

            Johnson said in the distant future, planners may even try to coax some residents, especially downtown, to avoid having cars at all.

 

            To that idea, Bill Simer, a noted “car guy,” said, “I’m not ready to drink that Kool-Aid anytime soon.”           

 

           Bulletin editors: Chuck Rehberg and Sandy Fink

            Spokane Connects meets beginning at 4:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 9, at Nectar Wine and Beer in Kendall Yards.  After a long election season and even longer continuing Covid 19 challenge, maybe a nice beverage and good conversation may be a good tonic.

 

            Tag times due: Nearly all 40 spots have been reserved for the holiday gifts for needy children and their families at Holmes Elementary School.  A few spots are open for club members who have not yet committed.  Coordinator Lenore Romney will talk with Holmes administrators in the Nov. 16 week to line up students and families with ages, gender and other issues.  Then club members will have several weeks to buy presents and wrap the gifts.

 

            Reminder: Lenore mentions that November is Rotary Foundation Month.  This is a good time to remember all of the thousands of good deeds worldwide that clubs help around the globe and around their own neighborhoods.

 

            Tom’s Turkey Drive adjusts: In recent years as a club project, members joined the Tom’s Turkey Drive for holiday families in need.  KREM-TV personality Tom Sherry and Rosauers’ stores headed the event the weekend before Thanksgiving Day.  With the coronavirus issues continuing, this year’s alternative is an on-line request, selling $20 bags of groceries until just before the Nov. 26 Thanksgiving Day.  Groceries will be distributed at the Fairgrounds with a drive-in procedure.

 

 

           With appropriate measures to avoid Covid issues, a number of club members at the Nov. 2 Zoom-meet talked about the trick or treat turnout.

 

            Dave Hayward had just 4 children.  Chuck Rehberg counted 16.  Ron Schurra had 43 costumed customers.

 

           But Bill Simer, joining with the neighbors in the Northwood neighborhood near Argonne counted more than 200 children.

Bill also had one of the best costume winners – a 9 or 10-year old girl dressed as the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  When Bill complimented the young lady, she replied: “Finally, someone knew who I was dressed as.”

           

            President Steve Bergman said as in-person school attendance grows, the Holmes Elementary programs continue.  That includes the class items’ supply closet, the principal’s emergency fund, the Golden Heroes awards and the Holmes T-shirts.

 

            The Holmes projects have been budgeted at $6,620.

 

            Also, last year four Saling Scholarships were awarded at a total of $6,000.

 

            That alone would total more than $12,000 in donations, which is about the usual fund -raising ballpark , he said.

 

            In previous years, fund-raising has focused on dinner and wine events, open to members and guests.

 

            With Covid 19 curbing so many events, Steve suggests an alternative:     “We are asking people to donate what you would have given at the fund raisers.”

 

            To incent added consideration, Treasurer Bill Simer said members could donate contributions to our club’s post office (P.O. Box 9190) .  If members want charitable itemized donations, the amounts can be address the total to the District 5080

Charitable Fund, but send the letter to our Post Office Box.  Simer said: “The fund will be directed to the appropriate site and recipients will get a letter for tax purposes.”

 

            He added: “We have a well-oiled machine.”

 

            Bulletin editors: Chuck Rehberg and Sandy Fink

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Feb. 10: Rotary Connect, 4:30 p.m. at Maryhill Winery, 1303 W. Summit Parkway.

 

            Feb. 17: No meeting on Presidents’ Day, holiday.

 

            Feb. 24: Lunch at Nectar, Jim Dodd, Food for Kidz.

            Mar. 2: Lunch at Nectar, Guatemala Literacy Project.

 

 

            Big day for “Big Build”:  Nine GU Rotaract members and “a good chunk of our members” processed more than 1,000 bags of food Feb. 1 for our club’s project at the 2^nd Harvest Food Bank center.

The Spokane-North Club and friends tied for place in the amount of processed food, behind the winners from EWU.        

         

  At the event, club President Melinda Keberle was honored as an “MVVP” (Most Valuable Volunteer Person) at 2^nd Harvest for her work with the “Bite to Go” program at Riverview Elementary.

 

            Jobs wanted: Following the resignation of Tim Zacharias, the board still needs to fill the secretary position for the Rotary year, which ends June 30.

 

 A few openings also remain for the 2020-21 Rotary Year, when President-elect Steve Bergman moves up to the club presidency.

 

 

 

 

The club’s annual fund-raising effort for projects at Holmes Elementary and other projects are set, President Melinda Keberle said.

            The date: Friday, Oct. 2.

 

            The site: McGinnity Room, 116 W. Pacific.

 

            Keberle said the new venue provides a larger space—it wall accommodate more than 200 people -- than the Kalispel Country Club sites and a central place downtown.

 

            The hall, in a restored historic building, is named for the late Daniel T. McGinnity, a chemical engineer and patent attorney who died in 2016.

 

            Several more committee members are needed to help out in the fund-raising effort, Keberle said.

 

           

            With courses ranging from Animation Technology to Robotics to Wildlife and Fish Management, the curriculum expands at the Spokane-based NEWTech Skill Center.

 

            At the Feb. 3 club luncheon, Karene Duffy, the skill center director, displayed the variety of courses and the “soft skill” programs at NEWTech, located at 4141 N. Regal.

 

            Several years ago, club members toured the center and had lunch prepared by students there.he tech center serves 40 high schools in 11 districts, including most Spokane area high schools and satellite areas such as Davenport and Colville.  (Colville operates the fish hatchery.)

 

            Duffy said the center focuses on programs “where the needs for jobs are great.”  Health care is one hot area and the center will add a pharmacy program next fall, she said.  The curriculum already includes intros to nursing, health careers, dentistry and veterinary.

 

            Another hot topic is intro to aerospace and aviation technology.

 

            A wide assortment of other programs include basic car maintenance and auto collision,  culinary arts and bakery, robotics and digital game and web design, cosmetology, criminal justice and graphic design.

 

            Duffy said as important as the direct skill building areas are the “soft skills.”  Those include critical thinking, collaboration, communication and quality measurements.

 

            For example, she said, “you ask students if you arrive 10 minutes late for a class, or 10 minutes early for class.”  That makes a big difference to prospective employers, she said.

 

            Adding a counselor to the skill center faculty has helped.  “She is fantastic and worth her wealth in gold.

 

            Asked about how skill students are recruited, Duffy said there are steering committees and out-reach all the way down to 5^th graders to show some of the possibilities.                               

 

            The skill center operates from 7:55 a.m. to 2:05 p.m., with an “AM Shift from 8:10-10:40 and a PM Shift from 11:25-1:55.”                                                                                                

                                       

            Duffy said attendance and graduation rates continue very high.

    

            As one young lady said in a video clip, “We are all treated like adults here.”

 

 

 

 

 

Nov. 23: Rotary Project. Tom’s Turkey Drive, at Rosauers groceries at the “Y” and at East 29^th, 8-10 a.m.

 

            Dec. 2: Luncheon meeting at Nectar.  District 5080 President Bob Quay.

 

            Dec. 9: Holiday luncheon at Nectar Downtown. Holmes choir sings.

 

            Dec. 16: Luncheon at Nectar with speaker Josh White, owner of Nectar. Gifts due.

           

            Dec. 23 and Dec. 30: No meetings during the Holidays.

 

            Jan. 6: Luncheon meeting at Nectar. President’s report.

 

            Jan. 13: Rotary Connect, 4:30 p.m. at Helix Wines, 824 W. Sprague.

 

            Turkey time: At least 15 members, family members and guests will help our Rotary Serves project to help with Tom’s Turkey Drive on Saturday, Nov. 23. The club members will help out at the 29^th Rosauers and the Rosauers at the “Y.”

 

            Candid camera: Sgt.-at-arms Dave Hayward fined Dave Petersen –both WSU fraternity brothers – for appearing seven times on camera during the Nov. 17 of the WSU-Idaho State men’s basketball telecast.  Perhaps dentist Dave, a long-time Cougar-watcher, should get one of those “smile shots” that are shown on the Gonzaga telecasts.

 

           

             What’s in a word?

 

            If the word is “vitalant,” the new word is the former Spokane and Inland Blood Bank.

 

            Amber Short, territory manager for vitalant, described the operation at the club’s Nov. 18 luncheon.

 

             Short talked about all facets of blood, including platelets, plasma and whole blood.

 

            “In the Northwest we have great blood donors,” she said.

 

            By joining the Inland Northwest, the large vitalant network expands to 127 donation centers in 40 states, with some 30,000 mobile blood stops a year. More than 1,000 hospitals use blood from the donation centers.

 

            There are three vitalant centers in the Spokane area – 210 W. Cataldo, 10403 N. Newport Hwy., and 12117 E. Mission.

            The vitalant centers started in 1943 at the height of World War II.  The networking helps because the lifespan of platelets is just five days, plasma 28 days and whole blood lasts 42 days.

 

            “Somebody needs blood every two seconds,” Short said.

 

            She added that there has been an overall decrease in blood donations because younger generations are not participating as previous generations.

 

            Short said age is not a barrier.  She knows of one donor, now age 87, who has donated blood since he was 16.  Health conditions generally are barriers to being donors, she said.

 

            Answering a question, she said the centers can no longer “bank” a supply of donations.

 

            For those who can donate blood, Short said the visit lasts just one hour at the mobile drive centers, and the blood for needed donors can be life-saving.

 

            Holmes holiday tags taken quickly

            In a flash, the holiday tags were swept up for “40 for $40” Christmas time gift project for needy students and families at Holmes Elementary School.  Some 15 families will receive gifts.

 

             Happy shopping and wrapping; the wrapped gifts, with the tags outside of each present, are due Monday, Dec. 16.

 

 

 

            Nov. 11: Veterans Day.  No meeting.

            Nov. 18: Luncheon meeting at Nectar with Amber Short, Vitalant Blood Center: Holiday tag pick-ups.

Nov. 23: Rotary Project. Tom’s Turkey Drive, Rosauers at the “Y” and 29^th, 8-10 a.m. (Please sign up earlier.)

            Dec. 2: Luncheon meeting at Nectar.  District 5080 President Bob Quay.

            Dec. 9: Holiday luncheon at Nectar Downtown.